Does your smile say it all?

George Washington was born on February 22nd and of all the United States presidents, he was known to have the most discussion about his teeth. They were so awful teeth, he did not smile. Does your smile say it all? Most people think so. In a recent survey, 92.4% of North Americans agreed that an attractive smile is an important social asset, and 74% thought that an unattractive smile hurts a person’s chances of career success. But only half of us were satisfied with our smile! Without a doubt, your smile is one of your most powerful possessions.

Before humans learned to talk, our smiles could literally mean the difference between life and death. Researchers believe that our smiles developed as a means of avoiding aggression. For instance, if your lips were pulled back to reveal all your front teeth, this would mean you were ready for a fight. But we learned to stretch our lips sideways, and thereby partially cover our teeth to indicate a peaceful, non-aggressive greeting … and guess what? The smile was born! Keeping a beautiful smile is another thing…historically and today.

Throughout most of George Washington’s life he had problems of continuing deterioration of his teeth.  This caused him a lot of pain, and none of the dentists he went to knew what to do besides take them out. Slowly but surely all of Washington’s teeth were extracted. Finally, George had to have false teeth made. They were made out of hippopotamus ivory and cow’s tooth, carved by hand, and held in his mouth with metal springs. These false teeth were a little large for his mouth, creating a peculiar expression, which is exhibited in many of his portraits

Those were innocent, if dangerous, times. Today, for police officers (and poker players) there are few things worse than a cool liar with a fake smile. Today’s cosmetic dentistry allows us to give you a beautiful, natural smile. A thorough evaluation at our Smile Sarasota office can help you decide which type of aesthetic treatment is best for you. Whatever course of cosmetic treatment you choose, the results will give you something to smile about every time you look in the mirror!

At our office, we’re cosmetic smile experts, and we can certainly help to make your smile the best it can possibly be – for you and your self-esteem. Or even for your next poker game! Give us a call today and set up a consultation with Dr. Still!