Everyone wants a bright, healthy smile. But as we age our teeth tend to yellow no matter how good our dental hygiene routine may seem to be. The following provides 6 tips for keeping your smile bright and beautiful.
1. Eat Your Veggies
Eating crunchy vegetables like celery, carrots, and cauliflower are great ways to whiten teeth naturally. Crunchy food causes you to salivate, which helps to wash away stains and particles of food. If you’d rather have fruit, try strawberries. They have ingredients that work like natural bleach on your teeth.
2. Cut Back on Coffee and Wine
While Coffee, Tea, and red wine are healthy for your body in moderation, they’re notorious for staining teeth. Suggestions for limiting their negative effects include adding a little cream to your coffee or tea, or even sipping it through a straw. Also, try switching to white wine or even a blush occasionally.
3. Drink Extra Water
Drinking water with your meals will help keep your teeth cleaner while eating. Swishing the water around in your mouth right after you finish eating will also help prevent stains from the food you’ve eaten.
4. Use Baking Soda
Grandma was right about baking soda. Two parts baking soda to one part salt makes a great tooth cleanser. Dip your toothbrush in the mixture and brush. This treatment should be limited to once or twice a week.
5. Floss Regularly
This may seem obvious but a lot of people simply don’t floss on a regular basis. Brushing after each meal, while not always convenient, will help keep teeth brighter by immediately removing food before it has a chance to stain your teeth. Flossing on a daily basis will also do the same thing.
6. Visit Your Dentist
If you’re still not happy with your smile, your dentist has lots of options to help out. Cosmetic dentistry has improved dramatically in just the last few years. Bleaching and whitening are both options you might want to consider. In general, whitening is for bringing teeth back to their natural color, while bleaching is to make teeth even whiter than normal. Even artificial materials such as veneers and caps can be whitened by your dentist.
Following these tips will make a difference over time to keep your smile bright. After they become habit you’ll be amazed how effortless it is to have a gorgeous smile.