Smile!

A smile. There is truly nothing more beautiful on earth than a smiling face. Think about the big moments that create smiles - wedding days, births of children, celebrations of birthdays and special events. Then there are the small moments - the smile of a child jumping into a pool on a hot summer day, a teenage boy scoring his first touchdown or hitting a homerun, the flirty smile of a girl to her first crush, the knowing smile between a husband and wife, the smile of a grandmother to her little granddaughter as they bake cookies, or that of a grandfather to his grandson as they go fishing. Moments in life all covered with smiles.

A smile says a lot about you. First impressions are often made because of a smile. Happiness, joy, confidence, and more are exuded through a smile. What if you didn’t like your smile? What if you wanted to give a big, toothy grin but were too self-conscious about your teeth to do so?

Project Smiles had the amazing opportunity to restore the smiles of two women, Angie & Jenn, this past Friday. Both of these women were self-conscious of their smiles, due to some fractured and missing teeth. And now they both have brand new smiles! The experience of seeing their entire faces light up when they saw their new teeth was amazing. Restoring their smiles wasn’t just about their teeth. It was about restoring their self-confidence and giving them a beautiful smile to light up their lives and the lives of those around them.

On top of blessing Angie & Jenn with new smiles, we were able to share the experience with dental students from UT Memphis…the same students who were here in March. They will be back in May to work with Dr. Kemp, Dr. Tabor, and Dr. Wayman as they finalize the smile makeovers. The dental students received hands-on experience in the technical process of performing a smile restoration as well as witnessing the emotional impact such a procedure has.
As you walk through your week, smile! Smile at the people you see everyday – your husband or wife, your children, your roommates, your co-workers, the baristas at Starbucks. Smile at the checker at the grocery store, the girl who does your nails, the man who washes your car. Smile, knowing there is nothing more beautiful than a smiling face. Smile, knowing you can brighten their day. Just smile.

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. ~Joseph Addison

We spent the afternoon seeing patients from The Hope Center and Mercy Ministries. It's such a blessing to partner with these wonderful ministries and provide a very tangible, useful service to these women.