Sometimes your day doesn’t start well. You wake up late. Your kids are yelling and throwing tantrums. You are late to work. And then you realize you left your keys in your car, again. Understandably, you’re a bit irritated. And yet, surprisingly, you can find ways to smile even when life throws you a curveball or three.

The health benefits of smiling can help brighten your day in many ways, including:

Attractiveness.

A great smile can draw another person in toward you like nothing else. There is something profoundly magnetic about someone who has a smile that lights up a room. Conversely, a person who frowns, grimaces, or leers tends to drive people away more quickly.

Smiling is contagious.

When you meet someone with a great smile, odds are excellent that you’re going to return the favor to them. This can reduce the stress of meeting someone new and helps break the ice in almost any social situation.

Smiling elevates our mood.

Even if we don’t necessarily know that we’re smiling, experiencing something that makes us smile can help relieve stress by making us feel better, even if only incrementally. Hearing a good joke or smelling a pleasant scent often allows us to feel more comfortable in a given situation, no matter how bad our mood might be at that moment.

Smiling boosts your immune system.

This is perhaps one of the most important health benefits of smiling. As smiling helps us to relax, it can also help improve our overall health by allowing our immune system to operate more efficiently.

Smiling can make you look younger.

The muscles that we use to smile also lift the face, which in turn can make a person appear younger.

Smiling helps you stay positive.

Yes, even when you’ve locked your keys in the car, if you smile, you can take away some of the stress and negativity affecting you.

To gain the health benefits of smiling, consider the following:

Putting on some soothing music or going for a walk can help relieve that stress you’re feeling, leading to greater enjoyment and relaxation. This will lighten your mood accordingly, even when you’re dealing with ongoing stress. Finding friends and family who support and enrich your life can also dramatically help improve your happiness. The more you smile, the more likely that those good vibes will be reciprocated.

If you’re looking to keep your smile as attractive and magnetic as possible, give us a call at Mountain View Dental. We have a comfortable and professional office with experienced staff who would be delighted to serve all of your dental needs. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments, or if you would like to schedule an appointment. We look forward to serving you.

For those of you who have had a toothache before, you know just how uncomfortable and painful it can be. Fortunately, there are a few at-home remedies that you can use to get rid of toothaches. Today, we’re going to look at seven of the most effective at-home treatments for toothaches.

7. Painkillers

In many instances, toothaches are caused by temporary trauma to the tooth. If one of your teeth is painful or sensitive, it may be best to take painkillers. You can get over-the-counter medicine such as Ibuprofen to combat pain.

6. Clove Oil

Clove is one of the best home remedies to treat toothaches because it has a natural pain killer – eugenol. Eugenol can reduce both inflammation and pain near the impacted tooth, relieving many of your symptoms. To effectively use clove oil, we recommend placing a few drops of clove oil on a Q-tip. From there, dab the aching tooth with the clove oil.

5. Saltwater Rinse

One of the primary causes of toothaches is having food or debris stuck in the crevices of your teeth. Fortunately, a saltwater mix can effectively remove plaque and debris that is stuck in your mouth. We recommend preparing a saltwater rinse with eight ounces of warm water, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

4. Garlic

Garlic has been around for centuries as an effective treatment for oral pain. Garlic is one of the most effective home remedies for toothaches because it contains allicin, a compound that fights harmful bacteria. To obtain the best results, we recommend crushing or mincing your garlic before use.

3. Vanilla Tea

Vanilla is another proven method of dealing with toothaches. Vanilla tea can numb your mouth because it contains alcohol. As an added benefit, vanilla tea can hasten the healing process of your tooth because it contains antioxidants.

2. Peppermint Tea

There are a wide variety of essentials oils found within peppermint tea, meaning it can numb the pain from your toothache. Additionally, peppermint tea has antibacterial properties because it contains menthol. You can drink peppermint tea straight up or use a Q-tip to carefully dab the tea on your tooth.

1. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a naturally occurring plant, commonly known for its medicinal properties. Aloe is especially effective at treating toothaches because it has antibacterial properties that can soothe your tooth. Simply rub aloe vera gel on the impacted area of your mouth.

Hopefully, after reading this post you will be able a few successful home remedies for toothaches. If these methods cease to work, it is important to contact a dentist. If they persist for a long time, toothaches can potentially signal a wide variety of oral problems. If your toothache is still lingering after a couple of days, you can reach out to us at Mountain View Dental At our dental office, you will be treated to a comfortable, professional experience, sure to leave you impressed.

Making an emergency trip to the dentist’s office is never going to be convenient. It often occurs at an unexpected moment and can be stressful, especially if it is after hours. Not knowing whether or not the tooth can be saved will add to the stress. By taking the right steps in advance, a tooth emergency can often be avoided.

About Dental Emergencies

When you have a dental emergency, it is usually necessary to try to get to the dentist’s office within an hour. This brief time can make the difference between being able to save a tooth and losing it. Knowing what to do at the moment the accident occurs can also make a difference.

Preventing Emergencies

Although many emergencies cannot be prevented, some of them can be. The overall techniques for prevention are rather simple and everyone should know them. They include

• Good Personal Oral Care

Taking care of your teeth every day is a good way to start preventing emergency visits to the dentist. Good oral care will help to keep bacteria and acid off of your teeth and gums. Avoiding this daily practice will lead to the development of cavities and probably gum disease.

• Chewing Habits

Although the enamel on your teeth is hard, it can crack or chip. If you chew on hard substances such as ice cubes, pencils, or hard candies, it can crack or chip a tooth. This can cause a painful experience if the crack is wide enough to let you see the dentin inside. A tooth that has a wide crack in it will probably need to be extracted.

• Protect Your Teeth

When you or your child engages in sports or some other similar activity, it is always a good idea to wear a mouthguard. There are different types but the best is going to be one made by your dentist. It will be custom-fitted and this will make it more comfortable. Many times a mouthguard can prevent a tooth emergency and help you avoid dentist bills.

• Eat Healthy Meals

Your teeth, just like all other parts of your body, need vitamins and minerals to stay strong. A poor diet can lead to teeth that are weak and will more easily break or crack.

• Get Regular Dental Checkups

A lot of people avoid regular visits to the dentist. This can lead to a dental emergency because problems such as a cavity become worse if it is not treated when first spotted. This can lead to a sudden attack of pain.

If the cavity goes into the pulp of the tooth, it could become infected and this will be very painful. It could also cause an abscessed tooth, which is an emergency and needs to be treated immediately. This condition could become fatal if treatment is not given.

If you need to schedule a dental checkup or have a tooth emergency, you can contact Mountain View Dental. Our friendly and professional dentists have a comfortable office and they can help maintain the health of you and your family’s teeth. Contact our dentists today to set up a consultation or to get answers to your questions.

Monday	8 AM - 5 PM
Tuesday	8 AM - 7 PM
Wednesday	8 AM - 7 PM
Thursday	8 AM - 7 PM
Friday	8 AM - 3 PM
Saturday	8 AM - 12 PM
Sunday	Closed