5 Tips for a Brighter Smile

It should go without saying that everything you put in your mouth affects your body – including your mouth and the teeth it contains. Eating well and using proper oral hygiene are critical to keeping whiter teeth and having a smile you’re always happy to use.

In fact, a bright smile will make you look younger, while smiling more often will make you feel younger and happier. With these things in mind, the Oral Health Blog is happy to offer these 5 Tips for a Brighter Smile.

- Brushing and Flossing

OK, we know it sounds boring but, brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day are the most important steps you can take to keep your teeth white and your smile bright. Since even the best toothbrushes and mouthwash can’t reach every crevice between your teeth, proper flossing is a sure way to prevent bacteria and plaque buildup in your mouth. So, follow your mom’s instructions and clean your teeth regularly!

2. Boost Your Calcium and Vitamin C Intake

Since a healthy mouth and white smile are so closely correlated, maintaining strong teeth is another way to keep your smile looking bright. Eating a balanced diet will help fend off oral health problems that can detract from a pretty smile. Calcium is needed to grow and develop both baby and adult teeth and even strengthens your jawbone. Vitamin C is another nutrient that helps maintain strong teeth by working as an antioxidant to repair tissue and prevent disease-causing bacteria from penetrating the gums.

So, adding fruits and veggies to your diet will not only help to prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer, they will also help you maintain a beautiful smile. Just about any crunchy fruits and veggies, like apples, carrots, and broccoli are good for your teeth. Not only are they great sources of calcium and Vitamin C, chewing them increases levels of saliva, which can help protect the teeth from plaque-causing bacteria by breaking down food caught between teeth.

3. Avoid Bad Foods and Drinks

Of course, there are plenty of foods and drinks that can turn your smile into a frown. Yes, all that soda pop is bad for your smile, including diet soda! Hard, sticky or gummy candies aren’t’ doing your smile any favors either. Even acidic foods, like citrus, though rich in Vitamin C can weaken tooth enamel and create an environment for cavity-causing bacteria to flourish.

There are also plenty of favorites that can stain your teeth, and make you want to smile less: red wine, coffee, and tea can turn your mouth into a tooth-staining factories, while all tobacco products are the worst.

4. Professional Tooth Whitening is Quick and Effective

Having your teeth "bleached" by a dental professional is usually the quickest way to a whiter smile. Requiring about an hour of your time, most will use a combination of laser treatments and bleaching treatments, with in-home follow-up using custom bleaching trays or whitening strips. Professional tooth whitening will usually set you back somewhere between $500 and $1000.

5. Try OTC Tooth Whiteners

If spending that kind of cash on a whiter smile is not in your budget, you might be able to brighten your smile with over-the-counter whitening products. Crest Whitestrips and/or Aquafresh whitening trays, especially when combined with a whitening toothpaste, can offer surprisingly bright teeth. While the toothpaste will help to remove stains on the surface of your teeth, the strips or trays offer a deeper bleaching and whitening effect.

The doctors and staff at the The Colorado Center for Implants and Prosthetic Dentistry, are your full-service Littleton dental implants specialist and experts in all types of cosmetic dentistry. If you would like more information on your family’s dental needs, make an appointment today.