A smile says a lot to people about you and can help to make you look friendly and approachable.
But smiles aren’t just about your social health, they can also provide many real-life health benefits as well. (Even a fake smile can help you feel better!)
Learn more about how smiles are your superpower from the experienced McAllen dentists at Heroes Dental.
The Importance of Neurotransmitters
Smiling can trick your brain into producing neurotransmitters associated with happiness. Amazingly, just the movement of the muscles that control your smile can provide some of these positive feelings.
One current theory about smiling is that not only does it signal our emotions to others, but it also tells our brains what endorphins to release.
Lower Blood Pressure
We all know how bad stress is for individuals, and that it is one of the largest contributors to serious health issues. Unfortunately, stress can quickly raise your blood pressure, which can lead to serious health complications.
However, smiling can lower your stress and, in the process, help to lower your blood pressure also.
It should come as no surprise that smiling and laughing more often can help your health.
Helps Prevent Heart Disease
High blood pressure and stress can contribute to heart disease, so relieving stress is one of the faster ways to help lower your risk. If heart disease runs in your family, a healthy lifestyle with plenty of laughing and smiling can do wonders.
Improves Your Mood
Going through a tough emotional situation can make it difficult to smile. But did you know that even faking a smile can make you feel better and improve your baseline mood?
Helps Relieve Anxiety
Anxiety can go hand in hand with stress and may even feel the same to some people. Smiling has been shown to potentially help ease the effects of anxiety, which can, in turn, help to lower your levels of stress.
Reducing Aches and Pains
If you have chronic pain, you understand just how challenging it can be to deal with. Our brains create endorphins to deal with pain and, perhaps a bit unsurprisingly, smiling helps to release these chemicals, fighting the sensation of pain in the brain.
Better Immune Response
Your immune system is your main defense against disease, and if you’re getting sick often, it’s probably due to having a weakened one.
We’ve all heard that laughter is the best medicine and that is at least partly true. Laughing and smiling can increase immune response, which helps you avoid common illnesses or recover faster.
Create a Healthier Smile with Heroes Dental
Many people don’t smile because they worry about the look of their teeth. If this sounds like you, our McAllen dentists are here to give you the smile you’ve always dreamed of.
If you’ve been asking, “Where can I find a good dental office near my area,” Heroes Dental is here for you.