Self Esteem: 5 Benefits of Smiling

by Jill Greenlaw on May 13th, 2013 | 4 Comments »

*I am a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board. My son will be receiving complimentary treatment from Invisalign

I've always appreciated the benefits of smiling. But, do you remember when you were a teenager and you went through those awkward years? Crooked teeth are something many teens deal with and it can greatly affect their self esteem. Being able to smile with confidence is so important during these impressionable years. Here are 5 benefits of smiling.

5 Benefits of Smiling

Smiling can make you happy even when you are not.
Smiling makes other people around you happy.
Smiling can help you de-stress.
Smiling can help you make friends.
Smiling can lead to laughter.

When I used to take pictures for Bell Photography I realized for the first time how many kids and teenagers hated smiling because they have crooked teeth. I would try and do everything I could to get them to smile. When I asked one boy why he wouldn't show his teeth when he smiled, he said he didn't like the way his teeth looked. This broke my heart. Every child should have the opportunity to have straight teeth and feel good about himself so he can smile without feeling self conscious.

Fast forward a year later when my own son started getting in his own permanent teeth. We started noticing severe overcrowding in his mouth. He didn't want to smile in pictures, so I immediately took him to the orthodontist to get him started on a treatment plan. They attached braces to his teeth and for 10 months they adjusted them until they were able to pull his receding tooth out. Unfortunately, all of my son's permanent teeth weren't in, so we knew that getting braces on again was in his immediate future.

When Invisalign asked me if I would be interested in being on their Teen Mom Advisory Board and learn about the benefits of using Invisalign, I was all for it. We were immediately put in contact with a local orthodontist in Salt Lake City. The practice was at Smile Ranch, and we went in to find out if my son was a candidate for Invisalign.

Invisalign is a series of nearly invisible, removable “aligners” that are used to gradually straighten teeth without metal or wires. With traditional brackets and wires there are many food restrictions, but with Invisalign you can remove the aligners to eat. This is also a key benefit because kids are able to take them out so they can brush teeth and maintain good oral hygiene.

First, they took x-rays of my son's mouth. After looking at the images Dr. Jensen told us that my son would be able to get Invisalign treatment. Yay!

The next step was for the technician at Smile Ranch to use the iTero scanner to take a picture of every tooth in my son's mouth so they could put together the perfect treatment for him. Some orthodontic offices don't have this scanner. They take impressions using goop that forms a perfect mold of your teeth. The scanner allows the doctor to get a more accurate picture of how long the treatment will take and what exactly needs to be done. We lucked out to find one of the few offices in our area that has this awesome machine. It only took about 15 minutes to take the scans, and we were on our way.

The last step, is to wait for the Invisaligners to arrive in a few weeks. My son will be on a 9 month treatment plan. He will trade out his aligners every 2 weeks and need to wear them at least 22 hours a day. I am so excited that my cute teenager will be smiling his way through this entire process, and will keep you updated as we go along.

What are you doing to help your child smile with confidence?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board. My son will be receiving complimentary treatment from Invisalign, but all opinions expressed are my own. http://shout.lt/ggGP

Jill Greenlaw has a banking background. She gave that up 18 years ago when she got married and started having kids. She loved being a stay-at-home mom while raising her four beautiful children. Jill is now working for the Mom It Forward team as a Sales Manager. She loves her job. Her interests include camping, motorcycling, boating, photography, reading, cooking, and traveling. Put her in flip flops anywhere warm and she is happy.