According to studies by social psychologists, most people spend about 30 seconds appraising you before they begin to form a laundry list of impressions about you. Impressions formed in the first 30 seconds might include: your educational level; your career competence and success; your personality; your level of sophistication; your trustworthiness; your sense of humor; and your social heritage. For better or worse, this means that appearances count in today’s world, according to Susan Bixler’s book The Professional Image, published by Adams Media Corporation.

When meeting someone for the first time, the way you look is even more important than what you say. Sociolinguist Albert Mehrabian found in his comprehensive research on communication that 7 percent of a verbal message comes from the words used; 38 percent comes from the vocal tone, pacing, and inflection; and 55 percent is transmitted by the speaker’s appearance and body language. Your smile is one of the first features people notice about you in the business world, as well as in personal encounters.

A new smile can make you look better and younger, boost your self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as increase your communication ability, your sex appeal, and impact on your personal and professional relationships. And getting that smile isn’t as complicated as you might imagine. Many people can have a dramatic change in their smile with just a few visits to the dentist. So many options are available today that there is no reason why you need to suffer the injustice of a poor job or a failed relationship just because you don’t have an attractive smile.