Posts Tagged ‘smiles’

Water pressure issues required a house call from the utility company.  The serviceman was a 40-something.  He was well-built, handsome and had dreamy green eyes, but when he left the thing my girlfriend & I couldn’t stop talking about was his teeth.  His mouth was full of uncommonly white teeth, a study in symmetry, surpassed only by the sincerity of the way he showed them.

Everyone finds certain traits appealing.  I have a weakness for a good smile.  Always have.  Back in college, on those odd occasions (like Sadie Hawkins Day) when I had to ask a guy for a date, I always chose the guy with the nice smile.  I didn’t realize it back  then, but it was a smart move, as those who smile are generally better company.

I wrote about teeth several months ago, and have sometimes regretted it. (Oral Fixation) Since that post, some of my guy friends have become apologetic about their teeth. I love good teeth, but also realize everyone isn’t lucky enough to have them.  Many factors can prevent us from having the smile we’d like, but because a pleasant smile is about so much more than just teeth, even those with imperfect teeth, can have a charming smile.

A few years ago, a change in my outlook caused me to start smiling more.  It wasn’t anything I did intentionally, but as I evolved into a “smiler“, I realized the impact. Smiling does more than change one’s expression, it changes one’s life.

I started paying more attention to others who smile.  During that time, I learned things. People who smile look younger and age better. (Smile lines are much more pleasant, than frown lines on a mature face.) People who smile are perceived to be more friendly, approachable and likeable. Smiling makes it easier to meet people and/or make friends. Smiling alters the voice,  making us sound more animated and pleasant. When we smile, the body reacts with a mood-enhancing effect. In other words, smiling makes us happier.

Recently, my mood & personality were feeling flat, and I couldn’t figure out why.  It was hot & humid, but not enough to sap my energy.  I wasn’t tired or stressed. Everything around me was great, yet, I was feeling very blah.  Then it hit me–it was the braces. All the new stuff in my mouth had made smiling less natural.  I didn’t feel myself, because I hadn’t been smiling as much.

It might seem insignificant, but to those who recognize the complicated mind/body connection, it’s hugely significant.  I started to think about the biology of the smile as the subject of a blog post.  Writing that post would require delving into the science of stuff that isn’t fully understood.  So I turned to the guys at The Perfect Male Blog for help.  They expertly decipher the science & psychology of behavior on their blog.  Fortunately, they were kind enough to agree to write about this topic for de blog.  This made me so happy, I almost forgot about the braces.

Deb’s Note: I am in love with The Perfect Male Blog.   The Perfect Male’s perspective is a perfect compliment to the imperfect female’s perspective as given on de blog. Just as de blog attracts many male readers, The Perfect Male Blog, though written for men, is great reading for women too.  I am sure you’ll agree when The Perfect Male visits de blog next week.  Check out their site and be sure not to miss their take on smiling, next week on de blog.

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a holiday weekend with friends in their 70’s.  My husband and I enjoyed their company immensely.  After the weekend, I found myself envying their active lifestyle.  They seemed to have the enthusiastic ability to go anywhere, hang out with anyone, and enjoy everything.  I know many younger couples who aren’t as good company.

We are so fortunate to live in an era when older adults are more fit, more energetic and more active than ever before, but some people allow themselves to age before they need to. If I’m fortunate enough to live a long life, I’ll be dyeing my hair an unnaturally youthful color and lamenting the fact that the fashions in the “juniors” department never used to be cut so small.  I can’t help it, I come from a very long line of very vain people.  I hope to look as good as I can, for as long as possible, without appearing like an amnesiac who has forgotten her true age.

Don’t misunderstand, I’m not crazy about looking  older, but I’m not interested  in trying to recapture my youth. There is plenty from my younger years I miss, but youth is largely over-rated.  With age comes many things that  threaten our health and well-being, but looking back on my younger years, I think I’m darned lucky to have survived.  By God’s grace, I survived heartbreaks, angst, insecurities, stupidity, countless bad decisions and too many foolish risks.

I am very content with the age I am today, but have little enthusiasm for the “golden” years.  As I see it, if youth is Heaven and old age is Hell, I’m in chronological purgatory.  It’s an awkward age, but I rather like it here, in this limbo between Forever 21 and AARP.  I’d be content to stay here forever, but unfortunately, I’ll  soon be revisiting my past.  I’m going back to THE Awkward Age.

To go with the arms and legs that have always been a little too long for my body, his week I’m getting braces.  Which means, I’m just one bad haircut or acne outbreak away from puberty deja vu.  Braces are one of very few things I missed as a teen. Though braces are de rigueur for most teens today, when I was an adolescent they were reserved for families who could afford them or those whose dentitia was bad enough to mandate them.  Since I was in neither category, my dentist’s best effort to straighten my teeth, without orthodontics, had to suffice.

I had considered braces a few years ago, because I’d never been completely satisfied with my smile, but as crazy as it sounds, seeing the computer-imaging of my face with a perfect smile, didn’t seem like me.  My generous-sized Hispanic teeth, all aligned with perfection, was wasp-y and foreign.   On those computer-generated projections, I saw the smile I’d always dreamed of having, but I realized, I liked the one I had just as much. Unfortunately,whether or not we like it, our bodies are continually changing–including our teeth.  I had a couple issues in my mouth that continued to progress a little each year.  It was time to embrace a new smile in the hopes of having a happier mouth later on.  So…this week, I’ll be joining the ranks of millions of adolescents with tin grins.

The preliminary phase of preparation for braces has been more uncomfortable than I’d imagined.  I wish I could feel more enthusiastic about the improvements the braces should bring, but right now, I’m just trying to enjoy a last hurrah with fresh vegetables.  While my teeth are lining up, like so many tin soldiers ready for inspection, I‘ll be missing chomping on juicy red apples, garden carrots, summer corn, crispy refreshing celery and delicious raw broccoli. Goodbye crunchy & chewy things, maybe we’ll meet again when soup season comes.  At least I don’t have to wear headgear.

Fantasies,

fetishes,

fondnesses–we all have proclivities.

Unless you are possessed by sordid curiosity, you’d probably rather I don’t share mine.

Sorry, but I’m sharing.

It’s show & tell time for grown-ups.

Some women get weak at the sight of a great tush.  Some swoon for a nice chest or broad shoulders.  Some can’t resist facial hair.  (I don’t share their enthusiasm, but I admit a weakness for men with long hair.  In my opinion, there are far too few of them out there. )   Wanna know what else turns me on?

This is going to sound like a lame cop-out, but near the top of my list is a great smile.

Okay it’s out there. You know my secret.
I’m a tooth freak.

I love clean.  I love groomed.   Fresh & clean are always sexy–especially in the mouth.

Oral hygiene turns me on and a great mouth causes my imagination to run wild.
So I when I told a a friend about my plan to review a toothpaste.  The response was, “Geeez, you’re such a mom!.”  Kids, it’s ain’t like that.

Here’s my take.  Teeth are important.  It’s just basic quality of life stuff. The use of the mouth for stuff like eating & talking should really have a rank on Maslow’s Hierarchy.  All that aside, teeth are aesthetic.  If it weren’t so, most of us wouldn’t have sprung for the orthodontia of our offspring.

No matter who you are, or where you find yourself in life–married, single, looking;  your teeth are in the equation.  Unless you’re not smiling enough, everyone sees your smile.  Baby, trust me on this,  smiles open doors!

There’s nothing quite like scary teeth to guarantee you personal space.   On the other hand   .    .    .    .

Sorry, my mind was wandering.

Unless you’re hoping to never be kissed, you really should take care of those pearlies.    Most of us don’t have spectacular teeth, but it’s in our best interest to do what we can to make them their best.  It can only help your social life, and no matter what they look like, the ones you’ve got are better than the ones that sleep in a cup.

So now that you know my little secret,  you’ll understand why I chose my new toothpaste as the very first product to debut on de blog. You can find it under  “debuts“.

Deb’s disclaimer: I’m working with the teeth God gave me.  Together, they add up to a pretty good smile–despite the fact they aren’t Hollywood.  So?   Is it hypocritical for me to be judging other people based on their teeth?  I figure, men lust after stuff they don’t have & gals like stuff they don’t have.  There’s no double standard here.

One more thing.  See that photo up top?  That’s my kind of porn!