Beautiful Teeth?

 

“You have beautiful teeth,” the lady told me.  I am not certain what the correct response to this statement is, but since the woman was a dental hygienist and had her hands (and instruments of torture) in my mouth, I said, “Mrggth…”

“I’m sure your patients appreciate your welcoming smile,” she went on.  “I think there’s nothing like a smile to let you know that someone is glad to see you.”

Once again, I made a muffled grunting noise.  Somehow, I’ve found conversations at the dentist’s office are a trifle one sided.  Maybe I could record some responses ahead of time for future visits and play them at appropriate moments.

I began to contemplate what she had said.  I don’t have beautiful teeth.  They are strong enough and I haven’t had to have many fillings over the years, but my teeth aren’t straight and never have been.

If there was a Mr. America contest, I’m sure I’d be knocked out in the first round because of my smile.  And yet… I do think that smiles are important – regardless of how straight your teeth are.

One of the things I noticed with COVID masking was that I couldn’t see people’s smiles any more.  Maybe people weren't smiling as much anyway, but it felt like something was missing.  Regardless of what you thought about masks, they took away one of the best methods for making someone feel comfortable – a smile.

Proverbs 13:13 says, “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

Our faces are windows that reveal what our hearts are experiencing.

More than that, smiles are just like yawns.  They are contagious.  It just takes one person smiling in a workplace and a heavy atmosphere starts to lift.  Smiles are meant to be shared.  Nothing should hold back our smiles – not even teeth that aren’t straight or beautiful.