Having a nice smile is incredibly important. It won’t only help you in the looks department, but it will also help prevent disease and tissue damage. For most of us, brushing in the morning and at night is pretty much all of the work we require. But in reality, this is just the bare minimum. If you want bright and healthy teeth, you’re going to have to try a little harder in making sure that they’re not being stained and damaged.
While it requires a little more work, in the long run practicing oral hygiene can actually prolong your life expectancy. If you don’t take care of your teeth and mouth, it can result in serious, sometimes fatal, diseases.
Moreover, building a healthy smile isn’t important just for health reasons, sometimes it can also improve confidence. Within no time, you’ll find yourself smiling more often in pictures and in everyday life.
All and all, improving your teeth requires adopting healthy habits and shedding old bad habits. Many of us don’t even realize the damage we’re doing to our teeth until it’s too late.
These tips are designed to help you develop healthier habits and eventually a healthier smile.
Avoid foods that ruin your teeth
I know it’s relaxing to occasionally sit back, watch a movie, and enjoy a nice glass of wine. But if you’re doing that literally every night, you’re just asking for your teeth to get stained.
Red wine contains something called “chromogens,” which can stick to the enamel on your teeth and eventually stain them.
It also contains something called tannin, a plant-based compound that makes it easier for stains to stick, also found in teas.
Other drinks to avoid include coffee, sodas, sports drinks, fruit juices, and really any liquid with high acidic content. Foods include berries, pasta sauce, balsamic vinegar, curry, colored candy popsicles, and beets,
Again, you don’t have to avoid these kinds of drinks completely, but it would be wise to either brush them immediately after eating or drinking them or simply avoiding them together.
Eat foods that help keep your teeth clean
There are many natural teeth whiteners out there that will actually improve the quality of your teeth.
These include things like strawberries, seeds and nuts, onions, apples, carrots, cheese, and much more.
For the most part foods like carrots, apples and strawberries will help improve the strength of your gums as well as increase saliva production. Foods like strawberries also contain a natural astringent that removes discoloration.
Dairy foods like cheese will give the body calcium which will strengthen your teeth and gums. These foods also contain something called Casein, which reduces the loss of minerals from tooth enamel.
In general, maintaining a healthy diet will do wonders not only for your teeth but for your body in general.
Be strict with your brushing and flossing
After a long day at work, it can be tempting to just go straight to bed without brushing or flossing your teeth.
This can be very detrimental to your health as it can turn into an unhealthy habit. Breaking out of these habits can be difficult at first but there are ways to remember.
Try setting an alarm every night to help motivate and remind you to brush before going to bed. Eventually, after a long period of time, brushing before bed will become a habit.
For most people, however, it’s not the brushing that’s the problem but the flossing in general. Our aversion to flossing probably comes from the fact that it’s tedious and sometimes painful.
But after doing it for a couple of days you’ll realize that it can be done quickly and pain-free, you just have to get used to it.
That’s why learning how to floss without a mirror can come in handy. With this tip, you can floss literally anywhere, like in the car, in your work washroom stall, at your work desk and wherever else is private enough to do the deed.
All and all you should take your brushing and flossing seriously, make it a big deal if you miss a day or night. Don’t take for granted the wonders a good habit can do.
Don’t be afraid of the dentist!
This one’s very important. Regularly going to the dentist is as important as any checkup because more often than not our teeth require that little extra bit of help.
Without realizing it, our mouths host swarms of bacteria that even brushing and flossing can’t get rid of. This can lead to build-ups of plaque and diseases that form right under our nose, literally.
Dentists can detect plaque formation and disease early and help mitigate the situation before it gets worse.
So remove your irrational fears of the dentist and start taking advantage of all the help they can provide you.
And that’s it! By simply eating the right foods, maintaining a strict brushing and flossing schedule, and finally, going to the dentist regularly you can drastically improve your oral hygiene.
By following these simple tips, you’ll see an immediate improvement in the whiteness and strength of your teeth. So get out there and start working on your smile, you deserve it!
