Amid the skyrocketing prices and the Middle East crisis, let us not forget to still smile.

In time for World Health Day last 7 April, dentist Shideh Nikbin shared some pieces of advice on how to have the best smile ever — no matter what life throws at you.

“My number one tip for beautiful teeth is let your dentist check your teeth every six months. It’s like preventive care. When you go to your dentist, they will tell you what problems you have and how can you prevent these. And if you have small cavities, these would be gone. And if you need oral prophylaxis, it can be done. Don’t be scared of your dentist,” urged Dr. Nikbin at her recent live guesting for DAILY TRIBUNE’s Lifestyle show, Pairfect.

A dentist, she assured, is a friend, and not an enemy, so there’s no reason to be afraid of one. As a dentist, her role, she said, is “making the patient feel that ‘this is not only a dentist fixing my teeth but is more like a friend to me’.”

“For me, a patient is not only a patient with teeth. I don’t see that. I see the whole person,” Dr. Shideh affirmed. “Sometimes when they have a problem with their family, they’ll let me know about it. It’s funny sometimes because they tell me that ‘I am relieved; it’s like a therapy for me.’”

According to her, as a friend to her patients, she curates her patients’ smiles based on their personalities, life stories and lifestyles.

“I’d like to give them a smile that has an impact on their confidence in their life. For example, in their wedding, if they want a bigger and whiter smile.”

A healthy diet, not only good habits, is also a part of good oral hygiene.

“Another thing that’s important is your diet. So a lot of people think that just because they always brush their teeth, use mouthwash and do those rituals, they’re good. No, it’s not done. In addition to that, you have to take care of what do you eat. So if you eat food that has more sugar, your mouth becomes more acidic and more prone to cavities and dental plaque. So make sure to have food that has nutrients like calcium, vitamin C that are already built into your diet. Diet is not only for getting thin or fat, but is for your dental health as well.”

Determined to make healthy teeth a fixture in one’s fashion and beauty, Dr. Nikbin established Fashion Smile in Unit 601, 6th Floor, Heart Tower, 108 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City.

“Especially in the Philippines, people here love trends, so I wanted to have ‘fashion’ in the name so they could connect to the trends. So your smile is a trend. It’s a trend that shows who you are as a person,” she explained the story behind the name of her dental and wellness clinic, Fashion Smile.

As for dental “trends,” which are more like advancements in dental technology, said Nikbin, these include clear or invisible braces and aligners.

Something that never goes out of trend, however, is a great smile — so for a final tip, she encouraged everyone to always show off those pearls!