Dr. Sam Bernardo of Awesam Smile (Facebook)

In showbiz, the perfect smile can make or break an image. It is one of the reasons stars spend considerable time, money and effort keeping their pearly whites in tip-top shape. Because when your face is part of your livelihood, every smile counts.

But dentist-influencer Dr. Sam Bernardo believes the conversation should go beyond aesthetics.

Over the years, she has surrounded herself with a coterie of celebrity endorsers, including Daniel Matsunaga, Bianca de Vera, Mika Salamanca and others. Their partnership gives her something more valuable than celebrity visibility: a wider platform for her message that oral health matters, whether you are a showbiz star or not.

“Happy ako na lahat ng celebrities na nakakatrabaho ko priority talaga nila yung oral health. Kasi minsan sila talaga yung nagme-message sa akin to schedule an appointment, and I'm really happy and proud to see them have that urge,” Dr. Sam said.

For Dr. Sam, celebrities are not simply there to flash their smiles and lend their names to her brand. They can help normalize the idea of taking care of one’s teeth and, because of their reach, bring the message to people who might otherwise pay little attention to oral hygiene.

That is the thinking behind her celebrity partnerships.

“Kaya ako kapag nakiki-partner ako, pinipili ko yung somebody who believe in the same goal, ang gusto namin is to spread the word on oral health,” she said.

And then there is Dr. Sam herself, whose own smile has become part of the conversation.

With her polished appearance and camera-ready smile, some people have suggested that she could just as easily try her hand at showbiz or even pageantry.

As it turns out, becoming an "artista" was actually one of Dr. Sam’s childhood dreams.

“Honestly talaga nung bata ako, gusto kong mag-artista. Sino ba naman hindi, di ba? But syempre, as I grow older, madami akong gustong gawin, sa totoo lang. Hindi lang entertainment, but darating talaga sa point na mamimili ka kasi hindi talaga kaya sabay-sabay lahat e,” she said.

For now, she is content with the opportunities that have come from being a dentist, CEO and influencer, as well as the celebrities she gets to work with along the way.

“Ako talaga ngayon, happy na ako na kilala lang ako, mayroon ako nakakasama na ganito, kasi madami yung learnings,” Dr. Sam said.

Still, she is not closing the door on a more direct move into showbiz.

“Why not? Sa panahon ngayon, choosy pa ba ako? Kung may opportunity, I am very much willing to try,” she said.

Considering she already has the smile, perhaps all she needs now is the right role or the right pageant stage.