Remember that commercial from years ago, the one in which a young guy is visibly enamored of a beautiful young woman—until she opens her mouth to smile and her teeth look terrible?
No doubt about it, a beautiful smile is the best fashion statement anyone, male or female, can possibly make! You can be wearing your grungiest “clean out the basement and haul the trash away” clothes. Your hair can be a windblown mess. But if you’ve got a great smile, you don’t need to feel embarrassed when you run into someone you’d really like to impress when you’re on your way to the city dump!
Our smiles are the first things others notice about us. This is equally true if you are meeting someone for the first time or getting together with an old friend for dinner. A smile that shows crooked, uneven or missing teeth presents an unflattering and untrue impression to others. You are the beautiful person behind that smile, but your smile needs to be as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside.
So if crooked, uneven or damages teeth are getting in the way of your having a gorgeous smile, schedule a dental consultation today [...]

People sometimes wonder if having a great smile is really such a big deal.  Research done in non-dental fields such as psychology reveal the importance of a confident smile.
People are social creatures that depend on interrelations with each other.  Dale Carnegie discussed relevance of smiling nearly seventy years ago in his famous books, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.  His first chapter discussed using a smile to create a positive first impression and even referred to it as the big secret of dealing with people.  The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the University of Oxford did a study that supported the fact that smiles can make strangers cooperate in one short interaction.  Smiles have been proven to win friends and influence people.
Additional research over the years shows that smiling makes us appear more cooperative and pleasant, thus making us more attractive to other people.   Hietanen and Surakka did research in 1997 that showed a smile could induce a feeling of pleasure.  Their research showed that even a smile in a photo could induce pleasurable feelings if the smile seemed genuine.
A ready smile makes you and others feel better.  A great smile can even help you to be more attractive to [...]

The state of your teeth may influence your success levels, claims new research from King’s College London.
The study showed that volunteers rated people with visible tooth decay or crowded teeth to be less clever, less popular and less well- adjusted.People with whitened teeth were rated as more attractive and successful.
Professor Tim Newton, who led the study, digitally amended smiles to show caries and asked volunteers to grade the images in terms of intelligence, attractiveness, popularity and career success.
He said: ‘Smiles with caries were downgraded, but volunteers didn’t identify the caries as the reason behind it. It was a subconscious decision.’
‘The difference in grading was more marked when the images were of women, suggesting that women are judged more strongly than men on their looks.
The study also showed that people’s expectations on what makes a beautiful smile have changed, to reflect the popular ‘Hollywood smile’.
Professor Newton said: ‘We are generally hit by whatever America does first and idealistic images mean that people today associate
perfectly straight, whitened teeth with beauty.
In addition, the research revealed that when people had been looking at images of attractive smiles, they were less likely to be satisfied with their own teeth.
Professor Newton said: ‘Idealistic images create a [...]

Smiles have an important role in human communication. They generally create positive impressions in social interaction. How does smile intensity affect the perception of facial attributes such as attractive, lively, altruistic, beautiful, or powerful impressions? Also, does dynamic presentation of smile have different effects from that of static presentation? We investigated perceptual changes of each facial attribute in dynamic and static presentation as a function of peak smile intensity controlled by morphing. The models were eight Japanese. The levels of peak smile intensity were selected from 0%, 30%, 60%, 90%, and 120%. The intensity of 0% corresponded to the neutral, while the intensity of 120% corresponded to the smile caricature. The patterns with one of the peak smile intensities were displayed statically, or presented after the static neutral faces sequentially. In the dynamic condition, the patterns were transformed continuously from neutral to the peak smile intensity. The total duration was 1033 ms in all conditions. The results indicate that the smile intensities and the presentation conditions affect the perception of each facial attribute differently. However, the overall rating scores of those attributes increased almost linearly up to 90%, but there was no large difference between 90% and 120% of smile [...]

Unfortunately, there may be times that smiling can be difficult - when it might not be easy and might feel virtually impossible.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the bad things that we forget that smiling is actuallly an option.  Maybe your boss inappropriately yelled at you…maybe you had a fight with a loved one…maybe you lost a loved one…or maybe you just feel mildly depressed for the day.  Whatever the case may be, there are always times when smiling just doesn’t fit your mood.
Even though you may very well have reasons not to smile, here are a few reasons to push through…focus on the positive…and yes, smile:
1. It makes you Feel Better: Don’t write this one off.  Really.  I know it sounds ridiculously idealistic and corny, but it is true.  Next time you feel down or blue, smile.  Just smile as big as you can.  You might feel ridiculous forcing a huge grin when deep down all you want to do is sob your heart out, but if you do it, and you concentrate on it, you actually do feel better.  Believe it or not, there is research behind this.  There is a theory called ‘facial feedback’ hypothesis.  [...]

NEVER underestimate the power of smile. At one time, I was mad as hell when someone took the book I bought. I left it on top of my table before I left for work. When I returned home, it was gone. I really don’t have any problem with it if the person who took it just left a note that he was borrowing it. At least, with a note I can always ask the person if he is already done with the book.
But what really got my nerve this time was the fact that I had some scribbled notes on the said book, which I inserted. I was afraid that whoever took the book might just throw away the notes I had written.
I was about to give up when my niece came to my room. “I am very much sorry, uncle,” she said. I was surprised; what had she done to me, I asked myself. She took something from her bag and with a big smile, “Here’s your book which I took without your knowledge. I forgot to leave a note.”
It didn’t matter if the book was lost. What mattered most was the fact that here was my niece and [...]

A smile not only sends a positive message, it may also have unforseen benefits to your physical and mental health. Find out what a smile can do for you.
It seems that nothing has more power to elevate a mood than the impact of a genuine smile. Surprisingly enough, the benefits of a smile extend not only to the recipient of the warm gesture but also to the smile’s originator. Yes, the old quotation may be true. “A smile is a little curve that sets a lot of things straight.” Here are some of the many benefits of a smile:
Benefits of a smile: A healthier immune system
Various studies conducted over the years have shown that smiling and laughter can boost the functioning of the immune system. This may help to reduce your risk of developing everything from the common cold to chronic diseases such as cancer. Could there be a less expensive medicine than this?
Benefits of a smile: Helps to relieve stress
Smiling and laughter helps to promote release of a “feel good” group of hormones called endorphins. These are the same group of hormones responsible for the runners high you hear so much about. If you don’t have time to get [...]

There might be more truth than you think to the term “million-dollar smile.” Research has found evidence of a possible connection between your appearance and how much is in your paycheck.
In a study released by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, researchers found that good-looking people tend to earn 5 percent more an hour than their less attractive cohorts.
Other studies suggest that a smile is a major factor in the overall impression a person makes on the job, during a job interview and in social situations outside the workplace.
Virtually all Americans say a smile is an important social asset, according to a study conducted for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, while 74 percent say an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success.
“A dentist from Philadelphia we trained had a patient who reported his income went up 27 percent the year after getting a smile makeover,” said Dr. Bill Dickerson, founder of LVI Global, where dentists come from around the world to learn the latest aesthetic techniques.
A bright, genuine smile exudes confidence, strength and a willingness to open up to others. Conversely, if you are self-conscious about your smile, it might affect the way you carry [...]

Attitude: Smile to Enhance Your Beauty
There’s no doubt about it; people who smile are much more attractive than people who frown. Not only are they more attractive, but also people are drawn to a smiling person like bees to honey. You don’t have to be considered a beauty to be attractive to others. You just have to smile - really! Just think of all the people you know to whom others are attracted. Are they smilers or frowners?
Smiling has a very unusual effect on the body. We can actually trick ourselves into feeling lots better when we smile. This is because smiling and laughing releases painkilling endorphins that are natural painkillers, and seratonin that is necessary to our well-being. These things really do make us feel better both physically and emotionally, so as the song says; put on a happy face.
Smiling makes us appear younger. It only uses 13 muscles in the face, while frowning uses many more and makes sharp lines appear between our eyes and in our cheeks. Lines make us appear older and detract from that attractive, smooth appearance. Smiling lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. Do you know a person who is really happy [...]

Proceedings of 6th Asia-Pacific ABC Conference on Management Communication on the theme “Management Communication: Trends & Strategies” Conducted by IIM, Ahamedabad, McGraw Hill
Abstract:
Good managers possess a knack to lighten-up their environment with a radiant smile. They trigger happiness wherever they go; for, their faces exude enthusiasm exhibiting their inner strength. Their smile reflects their openness and friendliness enabling them to strike a chord and create a deep relationship with their people. Ever since the leadership orientation has moved from the command-and-control pattern to the communicate-and-cooperate pattern, smile has become an essential trait to connect with the people at an emotional level. Managers with perennial smile are likeable to work with; for, they inspire those around with their vibrant, positive mood encased in their smile. Especially, ordinary employees who are insignificant in the organisation feel much recognised and accepted when they encounter a boss who has a friendly smile. Smile has not only the power to brighten up their day, but is as good a motivator as empowerment, praise and recognition.
Moreover, research shows that people who smile are perceived to be more pleasant, sincere, sociable, competent, honest, highly esteemed and popular. Perceptions, on the other hand, play an important role in [...]