Does Smiling Cause Wrinkles

“A beautiful smile can open doors” goes the saying.

But it is more than just a saying.

Recent studies showed that smiling truly opens doors whether in the personal life or the work-life.

The correctly dubbed “Halo effect” is now being hailed as the newest natural medicine.

 

The “halo effect” states that people who are positive and continuously smiling are happier, healthier, and with better relationships at home and at work.

There truly is no overstating how beneficial a smile is. However, some people still don’t smile as often as they should.

One of the reasons for the lack of smiles is a misconception that smiling can have adverse effects on your muscles and skin, including wrinkles. So is that true? Does smiling cause wrinkles? To find out, keep reading.

What Is The Main Cause Of Wrinkles?

Our faces have natural folds in them where muscles meet. The most common ones are the nasolabial fold – the line extending diagonally upwards from the corner of the mouth – and the dimple area of the cheek.

With age, these lines naturally become deeper, and a few more lines start to emerge at the corner of the eyes as well as the forehead. The truth is that wrinkles will eventually appear regardless of what you do.

However, there are a few reasons why wrinkles appear early, or are more than usual, including:

1. Poor diet:

   Every nutritionist’s main selling point is skin health and looks. Every diet ever made – in addition to keeping you healthy – is aimed at making the skin shiny and taut. It only makes sense that a poor diet adversely affects the skin. A poor diet – especially one with very few fibers – causes the skin to lose its strength, and the wrinkles follow.

2. Smoking:

   Smoking is bad for your health in all aspects. However, the effect on the skin often goes unnoticed. The heat from the cigarette as well as the nicotine and tar and other harmful chemicals cause the skin to shrivel and shrink. As a result, the folds of the skin deepen and the wrinkles become more pronounced.

3. Too much sun exposure:

   The sun is the strongest “drier” in the world. It makes the water and moisture evaporate from any matter, skin included. Too much sun exposure makes the skin dry, which is translated into wrinkles. In addition, too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation breaks down the collagen fibers in the muscles and skin. The muscles lose their tone and firmness, and the skin becomes unsupported resulting in wrinkles.

4. Dental problems:

   Yes, problems with your teeth can be responsible – although indirectly – for wrinkles. As we explained, the skin is supported and kept taut by the muscles. The muscles in turn are supported by the teeth and bones of the jaws. When one or more of your teeth go missing, or you have any other dental problem affecting the jawbones, the muscles lose their support from the teeth and bones, becoming flaccid and unable to support the overlying skin.

As you can see, none of the above reasons have anything to do with smiling. So if you think “does smiling cause wrinkles?” .. Think again.

Does Smiling Give You Less Wrinkles?

Shockingly enough, and contrary to popular belief, smiling can have a positive effect on wrinkles. Some recent research shows that the continuous muscle movements when you smile are like a workout to your facial muscles.

When you smile, you engage more than 10 facial muscles. These muscles are kept strong and taut, and as a result, the skin also remains so. So not only does smiling not cause wrinkles, it could be the reason why you don’t get wrinkles at all, or at least delay them as long as possible.

It’s all speculative at the moment, but wouldn’t that be great if it’s true?

How Can We Help With The Wrinkle Problem?

As doctors, we can help give you some general advice about eating a healthier diet, quitting smoking, and reducing exposure to harmful sunlight. However, as dentists – particularly orthodontists – we can make sure there is nothing wrong with your teeth causing your muscles – and subsequently your skin – to lose their tone and cause wrinkles.

We can help you keep your teeth and bone strong and together through various forms of orthodontic treatment (AKA braces).

Our braces services include:

• Traditional metal braces:

  The oldest and most reliable form of braces. Metal braces are suitable for all ages, although adults may have some trouble with their appearance, and may prefer any of the following esthetic options.

• Clear braces:

  Just like metal braces, only better looking. The brackets are made of a clear ceramic material, the wire is coated by a white coating, and the elastics are clear or white in color. The whole assembly is much better looking.

• Lingual braces:

  These are placed against the tongue and palate, on the inside of the teeth. They are practically invisible, although they can be a bit irritating to the tongue.

• Invisalign:

  One of the greatest technologies to grace the dental field. Invisalign has no brackets or wires, but instead a set of invisible plastic molds that are placed on the outer surface of the teeth. These apply pressure to move the teeth and can be removed at will. Invisalign not only looks better but is more comfortable and faster than traditional braces as well.

Braces can be one of the answers to the everlasting question of “does smiling cause wrinkles?”, at least the dental cause of wrinkles. Keeping your teeth healthy and straight can be the first step in a constantly young look with no wrinkles.

Final verdict: Does smiling cause wrinkles?

Without a shadow of a doubt, smiling is not a cause for wrinkle formation. In fact, some research suggests that smiling can actually prevent – or at least delay – wrinkle formation. The lesson here is to never stop smiling.

Not only can it prevent wrinkles, but it keeps your heart rate down, your blood pressure controlled, your mood elevated, your stress level at bay and it can even reduce your physical pain.