There’s no substitute for hard work and dedication when it comes to advancing your career, but a beautiful smile can make more of a difference than you might think. Having a beautiful set of teeth that you’re willing to show off on a regular basis can help your professional life in several ways. Here are some of the career benefits that smiling can have as well as a few options for making sure your grin looks its best.

The Career Benefits of a Beautiful Smile

• Confidence: If you try to hide your smile, you may come off as unconfident, which can hurt your prospects of success during important meetings and interviews. On the other hand, showing off a dazzling smile can give a sense that you’re confident in yourself and your abilities, and that can lead to more positive results at work.

• Forging Connections: It’s easier to make a connection with coworkers and business associates if you smile more often. It can diffuse a tense situation and help both of you relax.

• Creating a More Relaxing Environment: If you seem stress, other people will start to feel stressed around you. On the other hand, if you smile more often, people will be more comfortable with you around and thus more willing to listen to your ideas.

• Boosting Creativity: Smiling causes your body to release dopamine, a hormone that’s involved in learning, processing, and decision-making – all skills that can help you be more creative on the job.

• Boosting Productivity: In addition to dopamine, smiling also helps your brain produce serotonin and endorphins, which goes a long way towards improving your mood and minimizing your stress. A good mood makes it easier to focus on your tasks and give your best on the job.

• Inspiring Trust: Thanks to the confidence that you’ll show thanks to your smile, your coworkers will be more willing to trust you with important tasks.

Options for Creating Your Best Smile

It can be hard to enjoy the full benefits of smiling when you’re uncomfortable showing off your teeth. If you’re not happy with your smile, you might want to talk to your dentist about the different cosmetic services they offer to see if any of them can help you with your concerns. Common examples of cosmetic dentistry include:

• Veneers, which can be used to hide discolorations, cracks, gaps, and slightly crooked teeth all at once. (Recommended for those wanting to make extensive changes.)

• Cosmetic dental bonding, which can address many of the same problems as veneers but takes less time to complete. (Recommended for those who only need a quick touchup.)

• Metal-free dental crowns that are designed in a way to resemble the natural teeth as closely as possible. (Recommended for those who need restorative work done but want to keep the natural appearance of their smile.)

• Professional teeth whitening that can brighten the smile by up to eight shades. (Recommended for those who are specifically bothered by discolored teeth.)

Once you’re feeling good about how your teeth look, you’ll find it much easier to smile at interviews, important meetings, and other events that could make all the difference for your career.