How To Get And Keep That Beautiful Smile

You may be doing things without knowing it that are harming your teeth and preventing you from having that beautiful smile you desire. Let’s face it, when you first notice someone, isn’t it if they are smiling that you notice first? If they are smiling, don’t you notice if their teeth are white or not? You also notice if their teeth are straight or crooked, right? Well, people are looking for those things in your smile too. There are some simple things you can do at home to ensure that your teeth are in their healthiest and whitest condition that they can be.

Brushing

You have probably heard that it is a good thing to brush after each and every meal. Have you heard how long you are to brush? Most people do not brush their teeth long enough. If you are average, you most likely brush for 30 seconds or so. That is not even one minute of teeth brushing! To really do a good job, you should brush from 2 to 3 minutes. I remember when my kids were young, I taught them to sing (silently) the ABC song. If sung correctly, it takes about 2 to 3 minutes to sing this song. A child is not going to know how long to brush if you just say, “brush for 2 to 3 minutes”. If you tell them to sing the ABC song (silently) then they know how long they should brush.

The reason you brush is to remove bacteria from your teeth. It is the bacteria that cause tooth decay. You need to brush 2 to 3 minutes to effectively remove the bacteria from the surfaces of each tooth. It takes that long to brush in front of each tooth, and in back of each tooth. You need to brush the front teeth, the back teeth, the teeth in the middle, the teeth on top and the teeth on bottom. You cannot do all this brushing in just 30 seconds.

Did you know that you could damage your tooth enamel by brushing too hard? Do you suffer from receding gums, sensitive teeth, or notched teeth? If you do, it may be due to brushing too hard. It really does not take strength to brush away bacterial from your teeth; just gentle motion of the toothbrush bristles and toothpaste.

Flossing

Flossing is an excellent way to get the bacteria in between your teeth that brushing alone cannot reach. It is important to get the bacteria caused by acid from sugars because that is how cavities form. When bacteria come in contact with the tooth enamel that lies at the sides of your teeth and are not brushed away; they stay there clinging to the enamel and can erode away at your enamel.

Foods to Watch

Most of us have heard that candy can cause tooth decay. Well, technically it is not the candy, but the sugar in candy that bacteria feed on, turning it to acid. It is the acid that erodes away at your tooth enamel, creating the cavity. Many foods turn to sugar in our mouth. Foods that contain starch and some carbohydrates turn to sugar in our mouth. Some of the foods we should watch out for are: peanut butter, raisins, fruits, crackers, potato chips, and popcorn. Basically look at the label of the foods you eat and look for the word “sugar” or “glucose”, there are other words that mean the same as sugar, but those are the two major ones. If you see those words then the food you are eating contains sugar. Be sure to brush your teeth after eating foods that contain sugar. If you cannot brush right away, rinse your mouth with water or chew sugarless gum.

Beverages To Watch

Coffee, Tea and other beverages with sugar can harm your white smile. You know that coffee and tea can stain your teeth, but did you know that when you sip on beverages with sugar that can harm your teeth as well? Most people do not brush when they drink beverages during the day or night. The sugar from these beverages can sit on tooth enamel, creating breeding grounds for bacteria. It would be better to drink these beverages with meals and then to brush afterwards. You can also drink sugarless beverages or water.