3 Secrets to a Healthy Smile

For many of us, keeping our smiles healthy doesn’t become important until we are older and wiser. Parents, teachers and dental professionals strive to create lifelong habits and an interest in oral health in young children. But many don’t think about their smiles until they start to decline. Everyone wants a beautiful smile. It’s the first impression you give to the world. Keeping your smile healthy and looking good can be easy with a few simple steps.

Take Care of your Smile

The best way to preserve your smile is to visit your dentist regularly. Bi-annual visits and cleanings are the best way to catch and treat issues early. With yearly X-rays and discussions with your dentist, they have an accurate way of seeing how things are changing with your smile. Along with visits to your dentist, having a set oral care routine in place will help your smile. Brush and floss twice a day. Make sure you are flossing properly to clean the surfaces your toothbrush cannot reach. Adding mouthwash can be another way to protect your smile and keep it healthy.

Your Diet Effects your Smile

Not only does your doctor want you to eat right, but so does your dentist. Protect your smile with a diet low in sugar. Kick the soda habit, even if you only drink diet. The high acid levels in soda can weaken your enamel. Enamel is your teeth’s natural defence, so you want to keep it strong. Switching to water is better for your smile in another way. Drinking water throughout the day helps rinse away bacteria that settle on your teeth and gums, keeping them from getting a stronghold. If you experience dry mouth, water is even more essential. Lack of saliva allows bacteria to cling to teeth. Sipping water can counteract this by functioning as saliva.

Quit Smoking

It’s not easy to do, but quitting smoking is essential to keeping your smile healthy. Smokers take longer to heal, leaving cuts open to infection. On top of that, non-smokers are 2-3 times less likely to suffer from gum disease. Gum disease not only wreaks havoc on the appearance of your smile but is linked to many other more serious health issues. Tar from cigarettes can stain teeth, making them appear more yellow.

Keep your Smile Beautiful

If there is something about your smile you aren’t happy with, options are available. Cosmetic dentistry has come a long way in recent years. Talk to your dentist to learn more about teeth whitening, implants, veneers and more. The Foundations of Health Dental Care dentists are ready to help you achieve the smile you’ve always wanted. They put their patients’ needs first. They are happy to discuss options in depth as well as budgetary requirements. Should orthodontics be necessary, they will refer you to a reputable office. Keep your smile beautiful for years to come. Not only will you look good and feel confident, but you’ll protect your oral health at the same time.

This article was originally posted in February of 2017 and has been recently updated.