11 Tips For a Healthier Smile!

Our 11 Tried & True Tips For a Healthier Smile

A healthy smile is not just about having pearly white teeth! Your gums, jaws, salivary glands, and soft tissue inside the oral cavity are equally essential components to a healthy, beautiful, and lasting smile. This article offers a few tips that can help you maintain optimal oral health and a dazzling smile. 

1. Oral Hygiene Maintenance: 

When it comes to enjoying a healthy smile, nothing is more important than oral hygiene maintenance. The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing at least once a day. Both brushing and flossing are excellent measures at preventing plaque and tartar deposition, thereby minimizing the risk of periodontal disease and teeth cavities. Here are some home oral care recommendations provided by the ADA. ‍

2. Using Mouthwash:

The adjunctive use of a fluoride mouthwash along with brushing and flossing can go a long way in protecting you from dental problems like gum inflammation and teeth cavities. Besides, mouthwashes also contain antibacterial agents that neutralize harmful bacteria in the oral cavity and help keep a fresh, minty breath.‍

3. Using the Right Tools for the Trade: 

‍No matter how meticulous you are in brushing and flossing, you will not achieve the desired results if you’re not using the right armamentarium. The American Dental Association recommends using a soft-bristled toothbrush long enough to allow easy grip and has a sufficiently large head to be easily inserted and removed from the mouth. The ADA also recommends replacing your brush after every three to four months - or when the bristles have become visibly frayed. This ensures that the toothbrush’s bristles can easily penetrate all the nooks and crannies and efficiently remove food debris. It is not necessary which toothbrush you use - either a powered or a manual one - the important thing is following the correct brushing technique. ‍

4. Eat Tooth-friendly Foods: 

‍What you eat affects your physical health and well-being and influences your oral health — adding foods rich in proteins and essential nutrients like poultry, meat, and fish help in boosting the body’s overall immunity and minimizes the risk of oral infections. Similarly, vegetables and fruits rich in fibers help in cleaning the teeth are removing plaque and tartar deposits, thereby preventing gum inflammation and teeth staining. ‍

5. Give up Smoking: 

‍Besides being harmful to your physical health, smoking can also cause dental problems like gum and periodontal disease. More importantly, tobacco smoking or chewing leaves unsightly scars on the teeth, which affect one’s smile. If you want to enjoy a set of pearly white teeth, then you should consider quitting smoking. ‍

6. Limit Tea, Coffee, and Red Wine: 

‍Beverages like tea, coffee, and red wine contain strong-colored ingredients notorious for causing teeth stains. Therefore, it is best to limit their intake. However, if that is not possible, the next best to avoid tooth staining with these drinks is to use a straw while drinking. This will prevent direct contact of these drinks with the teeth and thereby minimize the risk of staining. ‍

7. Choosing your Teeth Whitening Products Carefully:

‍While at-home whitening products effectively remove extrinsic teeth stains, you should be careful in buying whitening products for your teeth. This is because some formulae contain dangerous ingredients that do more harm than good. Therefore, it is always best to select whitening products that carry the seal of approval of the American Dental Association. Alternatively, you may consider professional teeth whitening, which is safer and more effective. ‍

8. Drink Plenty of Water:

‍ It may sound unbelievable, but keeping yourself hydrated can also help you maintain pearly white teeth and healthy gums. On the one hand, water, the major constituent of the saliva, helps cleanse our teeth and prevent plaque and tartar deposition. On the other hand, fluoride in tap water helps fight teeth cavities and make our teeth and bones stronger. ‍

9. Getting Misaligned Teeth Straightened: 

‍Crooked or poorly aligned teeth promote plaque and tartar deposition and increase the risk of teeth cavities and gums disease. Besides, they also constitute an esthetic problem. Therefore, if you have misaligned teeth, getting them straightened with braces or Invisalign aligners will go a long way in helping you maintain optimal oral health and a beautiful smile. 

10. Seek Treatment for Teeth Grinding and Clenching: 

‍Parafunctional dental habits like teeth grinding and clenching put excessive pressure on the jaw joints and the teeth. If this condition is not treated in time, it can lead to a group of disorders known as temporomandibular joint disorders. Besides, excessive grinding can also lead to tooth wear, causing sensitivity and teeth cavities due to erosion. Therefore, if you feel that you have teeth grinding habit, get it fixed quickly before it affects your teeth and jaw joints. ‍

11. Visit your Dentist Regularly:

The importance of visiting your dentist regularly for checkups cannot be overstated. Your dentist will thoroughly examine your oral cavity and look for signs of underlying dental problems at every check-up appointment. In addition, dentists use special instruments and equipment to see what the naked eye cannot; this helps them diagnose dental issues well before they become visually apparent and treat them before they cause permanent damage. Besides, the dentist will also perform oral cancer screenings at every appointment, which goes a long way in protecting you from this deadly disease. 

Both at-home oral hygiene measures and regular dental checkups are necessary for maintaining optimal oral health. So, if you live in Chandler, AZ, and you’re looking for a dental practice that looks after your entire family’s oral health, look no more! At Perfect Smiles Dentistry, we believe in the power of preventive dentistry. That is why we focus on preventing dental problems from occurring in the first place. We have a fully equipped dental office and a team of highly qualified dental professionals, which allows treating all dental problems under one roof. So, what are you waiting for? Please book an appointment today, and let us make sure you enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile throughout life with our preventive dentistry treatment approach.