Ever wonder how to look after your smile the right way? Luckily for you, today’s post is all about taking care of your pearly whites and gums to keep you smiling bright for years to come.
Smiling is very important in our day-to-day lives. It’s how you present the best version of yourself and it’s the best way to put the people you’re interacting with at ease. But not everyone brushes their teeth regularly or know how to brush properly, so “brushing” up on our flossing and brushing skills every so often is important.
Here are 6 tips and tricks to help you take care of your smile.
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Regularly Floss
There are some places in your mouth that a toothbrush just can’t get to, and if you allow bacteria to build up in those areas, you will get tooth decay and cavities aplenty. Flossing is the only answer here, as it’s the only thing small enough to get into all those awkward areas of your mouth.
To look after your smile, you must be as equally committed to flossing as you are to brushing. No half measures! It’s the oldest trick in the book, and yet it’s always forgotten or ignored; flossing is key to a perfect smile! Keep reading to find out how to floss properly, because technique matters.
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
You might be great at taking care of your own teeth, but expert intervention is sometimes needed to make sure everything is okay. Regular visits to the dentist every 6 months can maintain your oral health and identify oral issues before they get worse.
A private dental clinic like Pure Dentistry can give you that perfect smile by using all the latest technology, coupled carefully with honest advice.
Don’t Brush Too Soon After Eating
It might seem strange to suggest that brushing your teeth can be harmful to your oral health. However, you should not brush your teeth until at least one hour after eating and drinking, to give your mouth time to self clean using your saliva.
If you brush to soon, you also risk rubbing in all the acids and sugars from the food you just ate into your teeth, which can cause problems with the enamel and the integrity of each tooth. Therefore, it’s important to give your mouth some time to settle before starting your cleaning routine for that perfect smile.
Increase Saliva Flow
After that last section, you’re likely wondering how your mouth cleans itself, right? Well, that’s the role that saliva plays in oral hygiene, and increasing the amount of saliva in your mouth is a good thing, especially after eating. As saliva moves around the mouth, it sweeps away small bits of food that feed the bacteria responsible for tooth decay. It also neutralizes acids in the mouth that can break down tooth enamel by washing away acidic residue. Impressive, right?
Saliva also contains traces of calcium and phosphate, so it restores minerals to areas of teeth that have lost them from bacterial acids. To increase saliva flow after eating, get in the habit of chewing sugar-free and aspartame-free gum after each meal to help keep your teeth and gums clean in between brushes; this tip can be especially helpful if you are older or suffer from a drier mouth and need a little extra help in the saliva department.
You can find some chemical-free chewing gums here.
Brush & Floss Correctly
Brushing your teeth in the morning and before going to bed is essential – no buts! – and having a consistent brushing routine is the foundation of healthy gums and clean teeth. A proper brushing technique is the first step to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Plus, it helps minimize the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, the major causes of tooth loss. To brush your teeth correctly, it should take at least two minutes of brushing, which includes 30 seconds brushing each section of your mouth (upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left), both morning and night.
Since most manual toothbrushes don’t have built-in two-minute timers, you may want to have a clock handy so you can be sure you’re brushing long enough.
When brushing manually:
–Start with outer and inner surfaces, and brush at a 45-degree angle in short, half-tooth-wide strokes against the gum line. Make sure you reach your back teeth.
–Move on to chewing surfaces. Hold the brush flat and brush back and forth along these surfaces.
–Once you get to the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and use gentle up-and-down strokes with the tip of brush.
–Be sure to brush gently along the gum line. Putting too much pressure on the gums can cause them to recede, which could eventually expose the root.
–Brush your tongue in a back-to-front sweeping motion to remove food particles and help remove odor-causing bacteria to freshen your breath.
Flossing correctly is important to remove build up along the gum line and in between teeth that a toothbrush can’t reach.
To floss properly:
-Use about 18 inches of floss, so you have a clean piece of floss to use on each tooth in the cleaning process.
-Curve the floss into a C-shape as you slide it up and down along the side of each tooth.
-Move the floss up as far under the gum line as possible and back down again. Never pull the floss side to side while under the gums.
-Don’t forget to floss the back sides of your back teeth on both the left and right of the upper and lower teeth.
Use The Right Tools
Not every toothbrush is a good toothbrush, and the same is true for toothpastes. There are a variety of products out there and it can be difficult to find the right one for your teeth. So, what’s best? Stock up on fluoride toothpastes and consider using an electric toothbrush to get in more brush strokes (I personally love the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean!).
If you prefer a manual toothbrush, be sure to select one with soft bristles unless otherwise recommended by your dentist; bristles that are too stiff can be too harsh for gums prone to recession or bleeding.
Whether you use an electric or manual toothbrush, always change your toothbrush every three months.
A waterpik is also a great tool that can help keep your teeth super clean along the gum line using water . My dentists recommends using a waterpik daily for optimal gum health. Remember, there’s also different toothpastes for different needs. Ask your dentist or clinician what they recommend for your teeth.
Avoid Staining Drinks
Some food and drink can stain your teeth over time. For example, teas and coffees, wines and fizzy drinks are commonly known to stain your pearly whites. It’s unreasonable to exclude these things from your life entirely – because you only live once, right? – but try to consume them in moderation. Stains can be fixed with expert help, so you can book a whitening session with a dental clinician to get your teeth their whitest again.
Consider Making Dietary Changes
If you are serious about looking after your smile, you should take steps to cut back on unhealthy foods and drinks. By limiting the amount of sugars and acids in your diet, there will be less harmful things to brush or floss out of your teeth. Foods like sticky or gummy candies, as well as starchy foods that can get stuck in your teeth easily are some of the worst foods to eat if you are looking to keep your teeth and gums clean.
Also try to avoid carbonated drinks that are loaded with sugars that can cause cavities and have phosphoric and citric acids that can wear away tooth enamel. Popcorn is also deadly for gums, because the kernel shells can get lodged underneath the gum line and cause inflammation (my mother almost lost a tooth because of an infection she got in her gums from eating too much popcorn!).
I hope these tips help you maintain a whiter smile for many years to come!
