Your smile is the first thing that people see when they meet you. It creates a first impression that will determine how people treat you, both in the moment and in the future. You will likely give a good and lasting impression when you are confident and your teeth are in perfect condition. Perfect teeth are clean, healthy, white, and properly aligned. If your teeth are not perfect, a skilled dentist can help you achieve that perfect smile for great first impressions.
However, you have a part to play in ensuring that your teeth are healthy and white. Your dentist can provide guidelines to follow at home, including dos and don’ts that will leave you with clean and healthy teeth for a very long time. Here are ways you can maintain white, healthy, and beautiful teeth:
Practicing Proper Oral Hygiene Habits
Taking good care of your teeth is one way to enjoy a white and healthy smile. You do this every day to keep your teeth free of harmful cavity-causing bacteria. Dentists recommend good oral hygiene habits, including brushing your teeth twice daily or after every meal and flossing daily. Brushing your teeth removes any remaining food in the mouth that could combine with harmful bacteria to cause tartar and plaque, which cause cavities and gum disease. Flossing removes any food that could be stuck between your teeth.
An unclean mouth is a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Foods in the mouth combine with oral bacteria to produce plaque, which is a sticky, colorless film of bacteria that forms on the teeth and gums. If you delay cleaning your teeth or do not do it properly, the sticky film hardens to form tartar or calculus. This adheres to the gums and teeth and is very difficult to remove unless a professional dentist does it.
Once calculus forms on your teeth and gums, the harmful bacteria continue to damage your gums and teeth. Eventually, you develop cavities on the affected tooth and gum disease. These conditions affect both the appearance of your teeth and your overall health. You will no longer have white and healthy teeth until after proper diagnosis and treatment.
When brushing and flossing your teeth, you must consider the following:
- Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush that is gentle on your gums and other sensitive tissues, yet very effective in removing food, drinks, and plaque from your teeth. Change your toothbrush every three to four months to keep it strong and effective.
- Use a fluoride-based toothpaste, as it significantly reduces oral issues that affect the health and appearance of your smile, like cavities. Fluoride combats the damaging effects of plaque on your teeth. It also strengthens the enamel against damage by calculus, keeping your teeth free from cavities.
- Use a fluoride-based mouthwash to freshen your breath, remove food debris and harmful bacteria, and strengthen your teeth against cavities. Rinsing your mouth with a recommended mouthwash once daily enhances the health of your teeth and gums.
Discuss your oral hygiene habits with your dentist to ensure you are on the right track. They can offer some recommendations that will enhance your routine, helping you maintain a healthy and white smile. They can also make adjustments to your routine to achieve a better outcome.
Stick to a Proper Diet
What you eat plays a significant role in your oral and overall health. While some foods naturally strengthen and whiten your teeth, others can damage and stain them. Therefore, you must consider the impact of the foods you consume on your teeth and overall health to make informed decisions. Dentists recommend a balanced diet as one of the ways to enjoy strong and healthy teeth and gums. It must contain carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals in proper proportions.
Here are some foods you should incorporate into your diet for whiter, healthier teeth:
- Berries
They contain the right amounts of vitamins and minerals you need for healthier teeth and gums. They also provide other benefits to your teeth, like malic acid from strawberries, which increases saliva production. A proper amount of saliva in the mouth protects your teeth from attack by harmful bacteria. Malic acid is also a natural bleaching agent that maintains the natural color of your teeth.
- Carrots and Apples
Vegetables and fruits make your teeth strong and healthy. Fruits like apples and vegetables like carrots and celery are the kinds of crunchy bites you should consider for snacking. They also increase saliva production, which acts as the mouth’s self-cleaning agent. Crunching on vegetables and fruits strengthens your teeth and also removes plaque and other stains from your teeth.
- Seeds and Nuts
Incorporating seeds and nuts in your diet is another way to strengthen and boost the health of your teeth. Examples of seeds and nuts you should consider include almonds, walnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. They are natural exfoliants because of their natural abrasive texture. Thus, they can remove stains from your time with minimal effort. Some seeds and nuts also contain essential minerals and vitamins, such as calcium, which helps strengthen your teeth and bones.
In addition to incorporating healthy foods into your diet, there are specific foods and beverages to avoid for maintaining healthy and white teeth. These include the following:
- Foods that will likely stain your teeth, like tea, coffee, juices, and wine. If you must take any of these, do so in moderation. Brush your teeth immediately after consuming a tooth-staining food or beverage before the stain sticks to the enamel
- Starchy and sugary foods, which encourage the growth of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth
- Acidic foods that damage the enamel, weakening your teeth and increasing their risk of staining
- Hard foods that can weaken or damage your enamel
Quit Habits that Damage Your Teeth
Although your natural teeth are meant to be naturally beautiful and strong, certain habits can damage their strength and appearance. Your dentist will discuss some of these habits with you, explaining how they damage your teeth and how stopping them can lead to healthy and white teeth. Some of the habits you should quit include the following:
- Smoking or Chewing Tobacco
The use of tobacco is a prevalent habit that people engage in without realizing its damaging effects. Also, tobacco is very addictive, making it difficult to quit once you start smoking or chewing. The truth is that tobacco is detrimental to your oral health and overall well-being. Here are some of the ways tobacco affects your oral and general health:
- Tobacco increases your risk of tooth decay by altering the natural oral flora, which encourages the growth of harmful cavity-causing bacteria.
- It increases your risk of gum disease by weakening your immune system’s ability to fight infections. Smoking also reduces the supply of blood and crucial nutrients to the gums, which makes gum disease and infections severe.
- The use of tobacco, including smokeless tobacco, increases your risk of oral cancer.
- Gum disease, cavities, and other effects of tobacco on your teeth increase your risk of tooth loss.
- Tar and nicotine in tobacco stain your teeth and cause bad breath.
- It also inhibits saliva production, leaving you with a dry mouth and reduced protection for your teeth against harmful bacteria.
- Nicotine and other chemicals in tobacco slow down your body’s natural healing abilities, which results in infections in case of injuries or after a dental procedure.
- Tooth Grinding or Clenching
Tooth grinding, or bruxism, is a common habit that many people struggle with. It affects your dental health by wearing out your enamel and fracturing or cracking your teeth. The enamel is the strongest element in the human body. However, continuous pressure can weaken and eventually damage it, leaving the inner and sensitive structures of your teeth exposed. The enamel protects your teeth from damage, stains, and attack by harmful bacteria. Once it is weak, your teeth can easily stain, become less functional, and develop cavities. Teeth grinding and clenching are also the leading causes of TMJ disorders.
Here are ways in which teeth grinding and clenching can affect the health and appearance of your teeth:
- By causing enamel erosion, which increases the rate at which your teeth develop cavities and stains.
- They fracture or crack your teeth, which weakens your teeth and increases their risk of cavities.
- They can cause gum recession by exerting excessive pressure on the gums, which can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease.
- They lead to TMJ disorders, which affect your teeth’s functionality and appearance and cause you pain and difficulties eating or speaking.
- Your teeth become loose and eventually fall out due to the excessive pressure of continuous grinding or clenching.
Dentists recommend using a mouthguard while sleeping and managing stress as two ways to stop this habit.
Regular Visits to the Dentist’s Office
Dentists have skills and experience in dental and oral health. They provide helpful information to help you maintain healthy and white teeth. They recommend regular visits to a dentist’s office every six months or twice a year for a comprehensive checkup and examination, as well as professional teeth cleaning. This helps prevent common oral and dental problems and detect and treat oral issues at their earliest stages. You will also be sent home with some oral health tips to practice at home and maintain strong, beautiful teeth. Here is what to expect during a regular visit to your dentist’s office:
- A physical examination of your teeth and gums for cavity detection, to check tartar and plaque, and the general health of your gums. During this exam, the dentist will check for any factors that can affect the health and appearance of your teeth, including cavities and gum buildup that can lead to gingivitis and gum disease. Additionally, they will examine your throat and tongue for infections and signs of oral cancer. An X-ray can provide the dentist with visibility to difficult-to-reach areas, such as between the teeth and their underlying structures.
- The dentist will conduct prophylaxis, or professional cleaning of your teeth, to remove buildup on the teeth and gums that can cause cavities and gum disease. They will administer a fluoride treatment to strengthen your enamel and fight any harmful bacteria in the mouth
- After examinations and treatment, the dentist will provide you with hygiene instructions to help you maintain good oral hygiene at home. They include proper brushing and flossing techniques.
Regular visits to a dentist are a preventive tool for issues that affect the health and appearance of your teeth. A dentist’s recommendations can keep you safe from cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease, which are the leading issues that affect your teeth’s appearance and strength. A dentist can also identify and address minor issues that, if left untreated, can escalate and damage your teeth.
Regular visits also encourage early detection and treatment of oral and dental problems. When most of these issues are detected early, they are easily and effectively treated. Then, you will not have to deal with unhealthy or weak teeth. A prompt intervention also reduces the risk of complications that are more costly to treat and more difficult to manage.
Routine dental visits also allow for personalized guidance and advice on oral hygiene. You spend quality time with your dentist, discussing personal issues related to your oral health and how to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile. Your dentist can even develop a personalized list of dos and don’ts that will push you closer to your goals after every visit.
Find Competent Dental Care Services Near Me
Healthy and white teeth will give you a beautiful smile and boost your confidence and self-esteem. However, you must work hard to achieve and maintain that. Dentists have several recommendations to brighten your smile and strengthen your teeth. You must work closely with your dentist to enjoy healthy and beautiful teeth.
At The Lakewood Dentist, we work closely with your patients to prevent and treat oral and dental issues that affect your teeth’s health and beauty. We encourage a regular oral hygiene routine that removes all stuck food from your mouth. We also conduct routine examinations, checkups, and professional cleanings to boost your teeth’s health and your confidence. Call us at 562-423-1441 to learn this in detail if you struggle with unhealthy teeth in Lakewood.