The cosmetic dentistry boom is showing no signs of slowing down, with an ever increasing number of our Leicester dental patients wanting to enhance their smile in some way. And who can blame them, a great smile gives you more confidence and can open many doors.

But is there such a thing as a perfect smile, and how do you know if your smile is perfect or not?

Firstly we’d like to say that a smile doesn’t have to be perfect for you to be happy with it. Lot’s of people like the little quirks and characteristics of their own smile- Madonna, for example, is said to like the slight gap between her front teeth and have no intention of changing it.

If you feel however that you would like to enhance your smile, there are certain key considerations, which we at our Leicester dental practice take into account when planning out your treatment.

The first thing we considered has to be what are your expectations. Our patients are increasingly opting for a more natural look rather than then the completely perfect hollywood smile- one which features realistic looking teeth with a certain translucency to them, and which is not unnaturally white.

Obviously we will look closely at your teeth, checking to see how straight they are, looking for cracks, chips and gaps, checking the size and seeing if they need to be brighter and whiter.

There are so many options we now offer at our Leicester dental clinic- veneers, crowns, cosmetic recontouring, cosmetic braces and many more other dental treatments dependant upon your requirements.

We also look at your smile as a whole, as part of your face. We check that it is correctly aligned and in proportion to the rest of your face.

We examine the way your teeth meet and the support they provide for your lips- this is vital, and can make a huge difference to the way you look.

Your smile plays a key role in the way you look and feel, which is why we take so much trouble to ensure that it looks great!

For more information on how we can help enhance your smile, please arrange a no-obligation consultation by calling us on 0116 2891317 

10 Hidden Powers of Smiling

Smiling when you’re happy comes pretty easily to most. But smiling is much more powerful than just an emotional reaction to being happy. There are also all sorts of advantages to smiling that actually help people to judge not only how attractive you are but if they can trust you and if they can accept you socially.

Smiles also depend on which country you’re from, cultural and gender difference. It’s known that women generally smile more than men and that it’s not necessarily due to them being happier! Russian’s generally rank last in the smiling charts and Americans top, us Brits are somewhere in the middle of that.

1. Get others to trust you

Smiling really does help people to trust you, it shows that you are friendly and approachable and have nothing to hide. It’s thought to give your smile real value and authenticity you should show your teeth whilst smiling.

2. Smile for leniency

This art we think gets perfected during childhood and it can work towards your advantage during adulthood too! Next time you make a mistake smile.

But this time don’t show your teeth else you might look too happy!

3.Fix a social faux pas

Embarrassing social situations can be the worst. But with a little know-how, you could easily elicit a feeling from other people to show a little empathy.

An embarrassed smiles we look down and sometimes we emit a silly little laugh.

4. Stop you from feeling guilty

Surprising and probably not something you may have thought of before. But sometimes social pressures force you into smiling and women, in particular, seem to feel this pressure.

When you hear someone good new the polite thing (especially us Brits) seem to do is feel the need to smile for someone else’s success.

If someone told you some good news and you didn’t smile you would likely regret it afterwards and this would make you feel bad. So as the saying goes ‘nod and smile’.

5. Laws of Attraction

Opposites really do attract when it comes to the rules of attractiveness. If a woman smiles and makes eye contact with a man then he will approach her and it’s deemed an attractive quality.

However, if a man smiles too much at a woman then it’s thought his masculinity is brought into question and he seems less attractive.

6. Hide what you really think

It’s never great to fake a smile but sometimes it is necessary. People have a radar for fake smiling so knowing what makes a real smile to a fake is important. Americans are judged for having on occasion a fake looking smile, but as they smile the most we’ll let them off!

But what makes a smile look real or fake? Apparently, it’s 2 things: the speed of which you smile and what your eyes do. A real smile tends to come on more slowly starting at the corners of the mouth, a fake smile starts quick and fades quick. Also, smiles that don’t involve the eyes are judged as fake smiles.

7. Smile to make money

A smile can have real value in the world of work at all levels. To see this you only have to look at yourself and your own actions every day. Did you tip the smiling waitress? Give to happy charity collector? It’s an age-old system that has always worked to give you what you want and in the world of work, that means money.

Know the value of your smile.

8. Smiles are contagious

One of the simple social pleasures of life, which goes almost unnoticed because it’s automatic, is when you smile at someone and they smile back. It’s contagious and it makes us and them feel good.

So share a smile and imagine how far it could travel.

9. Smile to shake off stress

Smiling makes us feel good even when we don’t, so force a small smile when you’re feeling stressed and try to gain perspective on your situation. When smiling it’s believed a chemical reaction takes place and feel good hormones get released and this could help to reduce your stress level.

Forcing an insincere smile can be a little draining but finding a little laugh in there could be the turning point. So find something funny on youtube or watch a feel good movie and make a conscious effort to smile and laugh.

10. Live Longer

Last of all and probably the most important, smile to live a longer, healthier and happier life.

How happy are you with your smile? Click here to take our Smile Check.