1. Smiling boosts your immune system – smiling and laughing decreases stress hormones, relaxes the body and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

2. Smiling lowers blood pressure.

– smiling and being happy can improve the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

3. It reduces stress – when we smile it triggers the release of endorphins that lift your mood and counteract the stress hormones.

4. Smiles provide a natural ‘high’ – if you’re feeling down, even putting a ‘fake’ smile on your face helps lift your mood and gets those happy endorphins released!

5. It’s a natural pain killer – those clever endorphins that are released when you smile can also act as a natural pain killer.

6. Smiling encourages trust – studies show that we are more trustful of others when they smile and smile genuinely. Trust is an important part of social health when dealing with people and is a solid foundation for all relationships.

7. Smile your way to success – a smile can make you appear confident, self-assured and on top of your work. Research shows smiley people are more readily approached with business ideas and advancements.

8. You’ll look younger – smiling naturally lifts the face and helps make people look younger and more attractive.

9. It’s contagious – if you smile it’s likely to make someone else smile, creating a chain reaction and spreading the health benefits throughout those around you.

10. You’ll live longer – there is evidence that those who smile often live an average of seven years longer than those who rarely conjure a regular smile.

If you’re not completely happy with your smile, please contact Cambray Dental in Cheltenham on 01242 515599. We will be happy to suggest ways in which it could be enhanced, and in most cases those enhancements can be surprisingly affordable.