Caroline Jacobson

We’re gearing up for the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant. As sponsor of the ‘Delta Dental Most Beautiful Smile Award’, we know that a genuine grin can propel a contestant straight to the crown! After all, what’s a pageant winner without a 100-watt smile?

Here are some of the top pageant smile secrets to steal:

• Smile Secret 1: Vaseline

It’s hard to stick a smile for several seconds. Vaseline adds sheen and distracts tired cheeks. This deters contestants from letting their smiles slip. And, the cleaner and slicker the teeth are, the harder it is for lipstick to stick to the enamel.

• Smile Secret 2: Practice

Practice makes perfect, but excessive practice makes a pageant winner. Pros perfect their smile while watching themselves in a mirror for hours on end. The key cues are simple: bright eyes, big smile and head high.

• Smile Secret 3: Straws

Straws are a smile’s best friend in the pageant world. During the competition, you’ll see straws in soda, tea and even coffee. Dark drinks can create surface stains on teeth, and no contestant wants to risk a stained smile.

Competing in pageants takes sacrifice, and a smile is no exception.