Your smile is among the first things that other people notice about you and, as we all know, it is the first impression that counts. Not all people are lucky enough to be born with beautiful smiles; but even those who are aren’t guaranteed to retain them: teeth do start to show some wear and tear as the time goes by. In fact, it is not just teeth: a condition of your gums and lips matters just as much. However, modern achievements in dentistry and cosmetics make achieving and maintaining a healthy smile much more manageable than it used to be, although it takes time, attention and effort. Here are some things you can do to be always confident about the way you smile.
1. Brush Your Teeth Twice Daily
We’ve all been told how important it is to brush your teeth twice a day since we were children, yet many people still often forget about this rule. Yet it is not arbitrary – if you don’t brush your teeth regularly the plaque naturally gathering on their surface gradually solidifies into tartar that is much harder to remove.
The way you brush is also important: keep the bristles at a 45-degree angle towards gumline and make small, gentle strokes concentrating on one or two teeth at a time. It will prevent gum damage and make sure you remove more plaque.
2. Use the Right Brush
Most dental associations in the world agree that you should use soft toothbrushes. Harder bristles won’t make your teeth cleaner but will damage the dental enamel and cause more harm than good. Pay attention to the size and form of the brush – it should conveniently get to all your teeth from all sides. More and more people today find powered toothbrushes to be a convenient and effective alternative to traditional ones so that you may try one of those. You should also avoid pursuing bargains when it comes to your dental hygiene – cheap no-name brushes may be of low quality and even contain unsafe materials.
3. Visit a Reliable Dentistry Regularly
Twice a year is usually cited as recommended frequency, but if you notice some changes in the condition of your teeth don’t be cheap and sign up for an appointment as soon as you can. Taking measures against tooth decay early on means having less invasive, painful and eventually less expensive treatment. You can do with a small filling where a couple of months later you may need a tooth canal and a crown.
4. Go to a Cosmetic Dentistry
Some regular dentists can repair your damaged teeth, and then there are those that can make them look beautiful even if they weren’t perfect in the first place. A trustworthy clinic like Perfect Smile Spa can help you with anything from chemical whitening to fixing the worst cases of snaggletooth. If you do everything to maintain the health of your smile, but it still could use some improvement, cosmetic dentistry is indeed worth going for.
5. Floss Daily
Brushing your teeth will remove most of the plaque, but it does little to clean the spaces between the teeth. Regular flossing can help deal with this problem, removing the plaque and remains of food from hard-to-reach areas, which helps to prevent gingivitis and gum disease. If you notice bleeding after flossing, you probably already have an early stage of one of these conditions – daily flossing usually removes it after a couple of weeks.
6. Invest into an Oral Irrigator
Not all people can safely floss their teeth – for example, if you have receded gums flossing can be painful and even dangerous. In this case, an oral irrigator can serve as a safer and probably more efficient alternative. This device sprays pressurized water or mouthwash in a thin jet you can direct in spaces between the teeth, removing plaque and food fragments without damaging your gums. Try using it once, and you will be amazed how much nasty stuff remains lodged between your teeth even after a thorough brushing.
7. Give up Smoking
Smoking and healthy teeth just don’t mix. At first, it just creates a thin dark stain that can be polished off with the right dental treatment, but the longer and more regularly you smoke, the deeper it permeates the enamel, eventually making it impossible to remove.
Even without its cosmetic effects on teeth coloration, smoking gradually damages your gums and causes them to recede. Continued smoking, in general, makes any maintenance of dental health much more difficult.
8. Limit the Intake of Staining Drinks
Tea, coffee, and red wine are the main culprits here. Just like smoking, their regular intake stains the upper layers of tooth enamel, gradually getting deeper and deeper, up to the point when polishing is no longer an option.
If you cannot imagine your life without a morning coffee or a glass of wine at dinner, consider drinking through a straw to limit the contact between the offending liquid and your teeth. Rinsing your mouth with water after these drinks can also help limit their effects.
Form the Right Habits and Stick to Them
As you can see, most of the above methods (except cosmetic dentistry) aren’t quick fixes but habits that need to be formed and maintained religiously – ideally, for the rest of your life. But they will help you keep your teeth healthy and beautiful if they are naturally this way or after you get a treatment, so it is never too late to start!
