Your Infectious Smile

How to beautify your smile & Support a smiling cause

It has been said that the prettiest thing one can wear is a smile. You may beam ear to ear, simply smile with your eyes, smirk with your lips sealed or maybe, your smile is accompanied by cute dimples. While most of you can spot a fake grin, a genuine smile can be the most effective social que in communicating happiness, confidence and letting others know that you are, friend not foe. So, what if you aren’t confident about your smile? In this article we’ll explore ways to better it and learn about a cause that can help someone else smile for a lifetime.

Teeth Whitening

Smiling pretty is hard to do when you catch a glimpse of your less than pearly white teeth. Perhaps, stained by coffee, tea or even green juices. There are many teeth bleaching options available such as over the counter kits to professional teeth bleaching from your dentist’s office. However, if staying away from harsh chemicals because of tooth sensitivity or concerns about the safety of bleaching agents, charcoal toothpaste may be a safe and effective choice for you.

Charcoal toothpaste is a new comer to the hygiene routine of Americans but it has been used for ages in eastern countries to safely clean and whiten teeth. Certainly, an amusing childhood memory for me was watching my Pakistani grandmother use it as I giggled at her temporarily blackened smile. While I still use the old method of simply dipping my wet toothbrush into food safe activated charcoal powder and brushing away, there are more user-friendly versions that come straight out of a tube as a paste like Hello activated fluoride free charcoal toothpaste ($5-$6) or find the many others at your local grocery/drugstore. While using something black to whiten teeth may seem counterintuitive, charcoal contains antibacterial properties that manage to absorb plaque and gently scrub away stains. Charcoal is being used for everything from clearing blackheads, cleaning hair to even reducing cholesterol levels when used in doctor approved pill form (read the activated charcoal study).

Braces for a Straighter Smile

Getting braces is no longer seen as a pre-teen rite of passage. Adults are getting ‘wired’ without hesitation and feeling more confident about their smiles. The cost of a straighter smile is usually a concern but besides traditional braces, clear braces first created by Invisalign are available and now by Smile Direct Club which offers their aligners to various budgets. See a price comparison of the three teeth straightening options below.

Smile Direct Club seems to have created the most convenient and affordable option for braces. They claim to “deliver a smile you’ll love-safely, simply, and without monthly office visits.” These are not traditional wire braces and rather clear aligners. You can visit a SmileShop by Smile Direct Club to get a 3D image of your teeth or use their at home kit and send it away to their licensed dentist or orthodontist who then design your aligners and send them to you. You wear the aligners either at night or in the day (depending on the speed you desire to straighten teeth). Office visits are conducted remotely by a licensed orthodontist. Smile Direct Club also offers monthly plans. Overall, the cost of these aligners can be 60% less than other brands. Visit their site for more information.

Cost Comparison of Braces

• Traditional braces: $3,000 to $5,000
• Invisalign: $3,500 to $8,000
• Smile Direct Club Aligners: $1,895 OR $2,290 if you choose their payment plan option.

Cause to Smile

One of the richest parts of the human experience is being able to connect to one another. A conscious way to connect is by helping those that seek it desperately. Smile Train is a nonprofit organization and charity that offers surgeries for children born with cleft lips and palates, which is an abnormality of the lip and mouth. 200,000 babies are born every year with this condition, making it hard for them to eat, hear, speak and even breathe. Many children around the world grow up never being able to afford the cost of the corrective surgery. The entire surgery that gives immediate results is $250 but you can donate any amount to help a child smile. The lives of the children, their parents and communities are transformed when simple functions we take for granted like eating, breathing and finally smiling are restored. Smile Train is one of my most loved charities and I kindly urge you to contribute to this amazing cause and make someone smile.

Trying to improve the self is a healthy sign of growth that creates a hopeful smile. However, it is important to acknowledge the role of self-acceptance and self-love in the process of progress. You can certainly try to brighten and straighten your smile with old staples or innovative new options but you can also try to look deeply into the things that make you smile, rather than the way your smile appears. Then, aim for achieving the the most beautiful and pure of smiles – the ones you give to others.