“Say Cheese!”
Whether you enjoy the bitter taste of gorgonzola or not, you’re bound to respond to these two words. “Say Cheese”, is not just a demand for verbally claiming your love for dairy, it’s the most widely used confirmation call to prepare you for the capture of a moment, that will then be transferred onto a piece of paper or electronic device to potentially exist today, tomorrow, and for eternity. Why funny words for such an event? To ensure that your teeth are on full display, making your smile the main focus of a moment of your life to potentially be remembered forever.
That’s why it’s so important for many people to have their best possible smile which, honestly, shouldn’t be a difficult task for anyone to not only attain, but maintain naturally through a balanced lifestyle and healthy living. Are you tired of keeping your lips tight shut in social circles? Or perhaps you know someone experiencing some kind of detrimental dental nightmare? Here are some dental hygiene tips to ensure that you always you maintain good, healthy, white teeth.
- Ensure that your diet is dental-friendly
For most people, if not everybody, our primary reason for choosing the foods we eat is because it tastes good or, in other words, satisfies the tongue. But have we ever considered the different foods we throw in our mouths affects our teeth?
Dental-Friendly Foods:
- Water
- Nuts
- Non-Acidic Fruits (such as apples, strawberries, bananas and kiwi)
- Vegetables
- Chicken
- Milk (especially good because it contains calcium)
- Cheese (contains calcium, as well as causes your salivary gland to produce more saliva, which neutralizes acid from other foods)
- Limit intake of sodas and alcohol
And of course along with dental-friendly foods are the foods you should avoid in excess to prevent damage to your dental health and tooth staining.
Anti-Dental-Friendly Foods:
- Tobacco
- Coffee
- Tea
- Sodas
- Alcohol
- Sugar
Too much soda or alcohol, in particular, are especially detrimental to your teeth because they contain phosphorus, an important mineral to have to an extent. But an excess of anything is unhealthy, and having too much of it due to high intakes of these beverages can deplete the calcium level of the body, causing problems such as tooth decay and gum disease. A lifestyle rule of thumb? Anytime you can easily choose water as your beverage of choice, do it. It’s healthy for you in so many ways, your teeth just being one of the many.
And if you do choose to drink sodas or alcohol, a helpful tip: do so with a straw to avoid direct contact with your teeth!
- Floss regularly
As wonderful as brushing regularly is, it is not holistic in its responsibility for cleaning your teeth. Brushing can clean the surface of the teeth, but it cannot do the same for the spaces in between teeth.
- Brush your teeth and gums properly
Yes, your teeth AND your gums. And when we say brush your teeth, we just don’t mean the top side. While the majority of people do in fact take the task upon themselves to brush their teeth on a daily basis, the majority of us still do not have our best smile because we simply do not have the proper technique learned or time to do it perfectly like a dental hygienist is trained to do in a standard cleaning. And again, a standard cleaning, meaning the way you SHOULD be brushing your teeth, every single day, twice a day.
When brushing, place the bristles of the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle near the gum line, such that the bristles are in contact with both the teeth and gums. Brush using a back and forth and up and down movement for 120 seconds, or two whole minutes. When you are done, repeat the same procedure for the inner surfaces of your teeth and gums.
For those of us who simply don’t have the time to do such an intimate cleaning on your teeth twice a day every day, don’t worry; we offer a solution for that as well ;) With the AutoBrush, you have a uniquely designed & technologically advanced toothbrush you can pop in your mouth to automatically give you a professional deep cleaning every day – in a mere 15 SECONDS. The electronic bristles go around your chompers to effectively scrub both your teeth and gums from every angle and in an instant! J Check out our smart toothbrush here!
- Visit the dentist annually
Applying everything stated in the previous points is not an excuse not to go for regular dental checkups. All you can do is your best and then leave the rest to the dental care experts (or us J). As permissible as your schedule is, make it a habit to visit a dental care clinic regularly for full oral checkup and teeth cleaning. Adhering to this can save you a whole world of hurt in the long run. Unless of course, you commit to proper cleaning habits and/or invest in a smart toothbrush to ensure happy checkups that can be taken annually and without further attention needed!
Happy cleaning and – Say Cheese!