7 Oral Care Tips For A Beautiful Smile

Everybody wants a beautiful smile, and for a good reason – a smile is the first thing people notice. But a healthy smile doesn't occur automatically nor is it something you can achieve overnight. It's impossible to have a beautiful smile if you don't take care of your oral hygiene.   

Since oral hygiene entails more than taking care of your gums and teeth, here are tips on other dental practices you'll need to embrace to maintain a beautiful smile: 

Have Your Teeth Aligned 

Aligning or straightening your teeth is an effective way to improve their appearance and attain a beautiful, healthy smile. The easiest way to get your teeth aligned is to undergo an Invisalign treatment process.

Invisalign is the modern-day alternative to the traditional metal braces. It’s a set of transparent aligners that move teeth gently into position, ensuring that lower and upper teeth fit properly. 

Overcrowded or crooked teeth are hard to clean. They have hidden pockets that are hard to reach during brushing. This creates a suitable environment for bacteria to multiply and plaque to accumulate. Getting your teeth aligned makes it easier to floss and brush them. This keeps your gums healthier and prevents cavities from developing.   

Apart from Invisalign, you can also use metal braces to align your teeth. They’re attached to your teeth USING brackets, flexible wire, and bands. Metal braces may be an excellent solution if you have more complex alignment issues.

Another option to straighten your teeth is through a surgical procedure. The orthodontist, in this case, may recommend repositioning the bones and gums to help keep your teeth in place. With this surgical procedure, you can also reduce the time you need to wear braces.

Visit The Dentist Regularly 

A dental visit every six months for routine cleaning can go a long way in enhancing oral health and maintaining a beautiful smile. Dental cleaning removes tartar and stain from teeth. Failing to subject your teeth to regular cleaning may result in periodontal disease that causes receding, bleeding, and swelling of gums. 

Periodontal disease also puts you at risk of developing severe health conditions like diabetes, stroke, heart attack, sleep apnea, obesity, and premature birth.  

During the dental visit, you'll be screened for conditions like oral cancer and high blood pressure. Since most health conditions manifest in the mouth, doctors consider this important and will advise on issues you need to follow up with other specialists.  

Hence, going to a dental professional is essential to maintain your oral health. If you haven’t found one, choose an experienced, reliable dentist who offers quality care and professional services.

For example, the dental specialists from Molson Park Dental and other dedicated clinics provide various dental services such as teeth extractions, emergency dental care, and general and cosmetic dentistry that you need to take care of your dental health for a beautiful smile.   

Quit Smoking 

Another way to maintain a beautiful smile is to avoid smoking. People who smoke end up staining their teeth. Although stains acquired through smoking may be superficial and can be polished off, they can soak into teeth's enamel with time.

When the enamel has excessive stains, it could result in an unsightly appearance and possibly permanent tooth damage. It’s good that teeth whitening treatments are now available to resolve this issue. Teeth whitening ingredients, such as hydrogen peroxide in gels, can also help remove cigarette stains without causing sensitivity.

Smoking also damages gums, causing them to develop pockets around teeth and recede. All this affects your smile as it can give your teeth a more extended appearance with dark spaces in between. Reversing gum disease that develops due to smoking can be tough, hence the need to avoid it.

Get An Electric Toothbrush 

The toothbrush you use can determine how good your smile will be. To enhance your gum health and clean your teeth well, consider replacing your normal toothbrush with an electric one. During brushing, electric toothbrushes oscillate bristles to create micro-movements as you move them across your teeth. This makes them more effective in removing plaque than normal toothbrushes. Some even come with feature modes that take care of sensitive teeth and whiten them.  

Although an electric toothbrush body can go for years without replacement, the head should be changed routinely. If buying an electric toothbrush doesn’t fit into your budget, go for a manual brush that has soft bristles. Avoid toothbrushes that have stiff bristles. These kinds can wear your teeth's enamel and recede your gums. 

It’s also important to understand the technology of electric toothbrushes to make a more informed buying decision. For instance, you’ll find electric toothbrushes with rotating brush heads that spin around. Some have oscillating brush heads that move from side to side. Other toothbrushes utilize pulsating technology, in which the head spins and moves in and out of the teeth to remove plaque.

Moreover, the brushing timer and pressure sensor are other useful features that you might want to consider when buying an electric toothbrush. The brushing timer can help you determine how many minutes you need to brush each section of your mouth. A pressure sensor can help you avoid exerting too much pressure while brushing to avoid gum irritation if you have sensitive gums.

Brush Teeth At Least Twice Everyday 

Although this might sound obvious, most people forget to maintain the routine of brushing teeth twice per day. This is an essential oral care practice because plaque begins to harden and form tartar within a very short time when left alone. Brushing your teeth twice a day keeps this from happening and gives you healthier, whiter teeth.  

As you brush your teeth, pay attention to the way you position the toothbrush. Ensure that the bristles on your toothbrush are angled at 45 degrees on the gumline without applying too much pressure. Make small gentle strokes targeting two teeth at a time. This helps you remove plaque from the teeth and keep the gums healthy.  

Increase Your Water Intake  

Water is your best friend in maintaining a healthy body and a beautiful smile. When you drink it in plenty, you flush out any food particles that may have been caught between the teeth, effectively preventing tooth decay. In most instances, tap water is recommended because it contains the correct fluoride dosage. Fluoride enhances tooth health by discouraging decay.

Drink water after every meal and snack. This step is advisable, especially after eating foods high in sugar and if you can’t brush your teeth right away for some reason, like when you’re traveling or doing fieldwork.

Minimize Beverage Intake  

Although beverages like tea and coffee may seem harmless to your body, they can affect your teeth significantly. Consuming these and other sugary or acidic drinks exposes your teeth to decay over time. The sugar and acid in tea and coffee respectively erode the enamel part of the teeth, exposing them to cavities and tooth decay that can ultimately lead to teeth loss. All this denies you a beautiful smile. 

Moreover, excessive beverage intake may also cause bad breath. Many popular beverages tend to reduce saliva production and cause oral dryness. When this happens, bacteria build-up, resulting in halitosis. On the other hand, drinking many beverages, like cola, coffee, and red wine, may cause teeth discoloration. All this denies you a beautiful smile. 

To minimize the damage caused by beverages to your teeth, you must remember some strategies. For instance, you should brush your teeth after a harsh beverage intake to avoid damaging your enamel. Consume water after drinking beverages to rinse the liquid off your teeth. Lastly, drink your beverages moderately.

Final Thoughts 

Oral care plays a critical role in keeping your teeth in good shape. However, oral care is not something you do just once and have instant results; it requires consistency. To maintain a beautiful smile, apply the seven tips discussed above.