What Is a Beautiful Smile?

Everyone loves the effects of a beautiful smile. 

It makes many of us feel comforted and happy. It reflects joy and spreads that to other people near the source. It allows the person smiling to shine from within. It has the ability to instantly put a person in a better mood and convey a positive message to everyone.

The benefits of a great smile aren’t just flowery abstractions, though.A beautiful smile accentuates and complements one’s features. It should complement the eyes and the complexion rather than out shine it, for a naturally beautiful look.  There’s real research to back up what a smile does to us, how it makes us feel a certain way and why it does that.

There’s also research that goes into the makeup of a beautiful smile. Like a nice painting or great piece of architecture, there are certain aesthetic qualities that cause a smile to have such a lasting effect on people. 

What’s extra is the uniqueness of each smile. No two are the same, yet they all have the potential to impact others. 

At Koval & Koval, we love helping our patients discover the beauty of their own smiles. With natural enhancements and simple changes, you can feel confident when you start to show your teeth. We put together this blog to help you see the value and intricacies of a beautiful smile. 

Positive Effects of a Good Smile

Research shows that there’s a bit of magic in every smile. Such a simple change in facial expression can lead to all sorts of great results. 

Our patients talk about feeling younger and more like themselves after they enhance their smiles with us. One patient recently stated that her “beautiful, healthy, natural smile” was like “a dream come true.” Another waited 25 years to have any work done on her smile and now has “something she has always dreamed of ”

These kinds of benefits aren’t just anecdotal, either. Mark Stibich, Ph.D. compiled various research in an article for Very Well Mind where he outlines some of the most shocking studies around smiling that show evidence of things like:

• Stress relief
• A greater sense of attractiveness
• Increased confidence 
• Elevated mood
• Improved positivity.

All of these benefits stem from the chain reaction caused by smiling. It kicks off a continued system that releases endorphins and serotonin, reinforcing the joy that your face displays. The effects spread to other people as well. Smiling is quite literally contagious. As Stibich notes, “Your brain automatically notices and interprets other people's facial expressions—and sometimes, you may even mimic them. That means that you might spot someone else's smile and unconsciously smile yourself.”

Physical Benefits 

Stibich points out that the benefits aren’t all mental and emotional, either. Smiling has been connected with improved immune systems, reduced pain, and even longer life spans. Stibich writes “Overall, happy people seem to enjoy better health and longevity, though more research is needed to understand why that is. Research does suggest that happiness could increase lifespan by years—suggesting maintaining a happy, positive mood may be an important part of living a healthy lifestyle.”

In our practice, we’ve also seen how small changes to a bite, for instance, can lead to less pain in their joints, relax their facial muscles, and even improve their posture. Like a beautiful building, a good smile is made up of equal parts art and science. It will look beautiful, but it will also function properly, being sturdy enough to last a long time.  

Everyone can achieve these emotional and physical benefits. The only issue is that a large portion of the world isn’t confident in their smile. Instead of showing off their pearly whites, they keep them hidden, and never experience the perks of a really positive  smile. 

That’s where cosmetic dentistry comes in. 

Cosmetic dentistry helps patients experience the mental, emotional, and physical effects of a beautiful smile. So many positives flow out of a smile, but it starts by feeling comfortable with yours.

Thinking About Enhancing a Smile, Not Redoing One

At Koval & Koval, we are dedicated to making life better for our patients through cosmetic dentistry. We love the stories of life change and improvement we hear from people, and we genuinely want everyone to have similar experiences. It’s literally part of our mission, evidenced by the main message on our homepage:

Enhance your smile, enhance your life.

These words were chosen carefully. We say enhance because we recognize the unique beauty that every patient’s smile has before they step in our doors. We’re not interested in tearing down what makes your smile special and redoing it. We just want to enhance what’s already there. 

You can see this throughout our smile galleries, especially the before and after section. You’ll notice that people don’t all have the same look, color, or style in the “after” pictures. That’s because we understand that there are no copy-and-paste procedures in cosmetic dentistry. Each tooth is attached to an individual, a unique person with their own wants and needs.

We offer our professional advice for enhancements but listen to what our patients want as well. Just like there’s an array of beautiful works of art, there are different kinds of smiles, each one offering something others cannot. Our goal is always to enhance the natural qualities of our patients’ smiles so it brings out the beauty that is already there. 

Attributes of a Beautiful Smile

Like anything aesthetically driven, the term “beautiful” can be tricky. Most people have a sense of what a beautiful smile is, but they can’t really pinpoint the specifics. 

This can sometimes make it feel as if there are no sure criteria for good. A person might see two different people with seemingly distinct characteristics and unique attributes and still say that both have good smiles. 

How can this be true?

Research reveals that there are certain things all good smiles have in common, even if there is room for individuality as well. Our own patients prove that. 

From person to person, you can see different tooth colors and shapes. Some show more teeth, others less, but all possess overlapping characteristics that make them traditionally good smiles.

One study done by the National Center for Biotechnology Information lists out some of the top qualities of a good smile including things like

• Tooth size
• Visibility
• Gum display
• Color
• Position.

How Dr. Koval Helps Patients Enhance Their Smiles

The study reveals what a good, experienced dentist knows intuitively. Dr. Koval, our founder and lead dentist, has been doing cosmetic dentistry for over three decades, and her experience has equipped her with the necessary skills to work with patients and deliver a great smile that they’ll love.

Her training and years as a cosmetic dentist have given her a keen eye to give patients a totally natural-looking result. She works with patients to achieve what they want to achieve, making every effort to understand the nuances and characteristics they love about their smiles. Then, she applies her expertise, which leads to a great result. 

This is why patients have said that “Dr. Koval is a wealth of knowledge. She took the time to explain, in detail, every option available.” She doesn’t want to rush you out. She takes her time to make sure you love what you get. Patients end their sessions feeling more confident, more self-assured, and more comfortable than they ever have before.

Are you wanting to feel that way about your smile? 

Don’t wait any longer. Book a complimentary consultation with Dr. Koval and start your journey towards an enhanced smile today.