Confidence comes from a variety of sources, both internal and external. Internal confidence is cultivated over a long period of time, often in the face of difficult situations. Ideally, confidence wouldn’t depend on any external factors, but it does.
The way you interact with others in the world provides you with feedback that will either boost or destroy your confidence. For example, smiling at other people generally makes others smile back at you, which makes you feel more confident in public.
Your smile is directly connected to your confidence
Confidence seems to be rooted in expressing a brilliant smile. If you don’t smile at people, you won’t be received well by society, no matter how cool you are. People will perceive you as grumpy or angry and they won’t reflect a positive response back to you.
In the absence of that positive response, it’s easy to lose confidence and wonder what you’re doing wrong. In reality, you’re probably not doing anything wrong, other than hiding your smile from the world.
If you’re choosing not to smile because you have discolored, broken, or missing teeth, that’s understandable. However, there are ways to fix your teeth and get your beautiful smile back.
Fix your teeth for a better smile
If you’re missing teeth, you can get dentures, partials, or dental implants. Dental implants are better than dentures and partials because they’re anchored to your jawbone by a titanium post that acts like a root. Over time, the titanium post fuses to your bone, which helps it stay in place.
If your teeth are stained, you can use at-home whitening products, or visit the dentist for a professional whitening session. You can also use 2 tablespoons of coconut oil as a daily mouthwash to clean and whiten your teeth.
Although oil pulling has a controversial reputation, it really works. Coconut oil is antibacterial and can reduce gum inflammation and visibly whiten your teeth. The pressure from swishing will also dislodge food particles just like mouthwash.
Stick to a daily oral hygiene routine
Whitening your teeth isn’t the only thing required to get a beautiful smile. You’ll need a daily oral hygiene routine to maintain a healthy mouth. For example, make sure you brush and floss every day. Ideally, you should brush and floss in the morning and before bed. However, it’s beneficial to brush after each meal.
If you struggle with remembering to brush your teeth, try using sticky notes as a reminder, or create a recurring alarm on your phone that will sound at the same time every night to remind you to brush and floss.
Smiling can improve your mood, which improves confidence
When you’re in a good mood, you’re more likely to feel and express confidence. On the contrary, it’s hard to feel confident when you’re depressed or angry.
People who smile more tend to be more confident. It’s not the act of smiling that creates the confidence – it’s the feedback from society. Think back to a time when you smiled at someone in the grocery store and they smiled back. That feeling you get from that type of interaction is more than just happiness. It makes you feel more confident in how you choose to interact with strangers.
Once you have a good experience, you’re more likely to smile at other people. As you receive more positive feedback, you become more confident in your ability to smile at strangers.
Confidence is important
Everyone needs a basic degree of confidence to function in the world. However, high levels of confidence will help you go further in life. For instance, if you want to get a raise or a promotion, you need the confidence to apply or ask.
Having a beautiful smile will get people to respond to you positively, which will increase your confidence. Since confidence can be gained by having a brilliant smile, it makes sense to work on your smile when confidence is your goal.
Improve your confidence by improving your smile
Having a beautiful smile makes you appear more trustworthy, especially when accompanied by a positive attitude. Your smile can affect your success in your career and personal life, and can change the way people perceive you.
If you want more confidence, work on your smile. If your teeth are in great shape, focus on smiling more. If your teeth are preventing you from smiling, talk to a dentist about your options to improve your smile.
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