The festive season is fast approaching, and there is plenty to smile about, and everyone wants to make sure their smile looks it’s very best. When asked what they’d like to improve about their teeth, most people will say the colour and would prefer their teeth to look whiter. Unfortunately, dietary habits, oral hygiene, and simply getting older can all lead to tooth discolouration. However, you can proactively take steps to improve your smile’s appearance without spending a fortune.
Reduce Your Consumption of Coloured or Acidic Foods and Beverages
If a certain food could stain your clothes, it will usually also stain your teeth. While cutting back on these foods isn’t easy, avoiding them could prevent your teeth from staining further. Beverages to avoid include coffee, tea and, wine, even white wine. The reason for avoiding white wine is as it can be very acidic, eroding your tooth enamel and increasing the rate of staining. The same goes for acidic foods, even if they are pale-coloured.
Richly coloured foods like berries, tomato-based sauces and curries can stain your teeth. If you want to have these foods, rinse your mouth afterwards with plain water, which will help remove some loose food particles. The same goes for acidic foods, as rinsing your mouth will restore a more neutral pH more quickly, helping to lessen the effects of acid erosion.
Try to cut back on consuming too many sugary foods and beverages as the sugars feed harmful bacteria in your mouth, and these produce acid as a side-effect. Over time, repeated exposure to acid can eventually cause tooth decay which can cause tooth discolouration, not to mention toothache in Newcastle.
Use a Drinking Straw
If reducing your consumption of tea or coffee, or wine is too much to cope with, consider using a straw. You can buy reusable straws that fit easily in your purse or backpack. Using a straw helps keep the staining agents away from your teeth.
Practice Good Oral Hygiene
A good oral care routine in Clarington is nonnegotiable if you want strong, healthy teeth. You must brush at least twice a day and floss once daily. We also highly recommend biannual visits to West Bowmanville Family Dental for checkups and cleanings. Regular dental checkups help detect any signs of tooth decay or other issues that could cause problems. Dental cleanings are an especially nice treatment for rejuvenating your smile. You have probably noticed that after having your teeth professionally cleaned, your smile looks just that bit whiter and brighter, and that’s because we remove all plaque and tartar buildup, finishing your treatment by polishing your teeth gently. A dental cleaning is an excellent way to rejuvenate your smile while knowing you are doing something great for your dental health.
Quit Smoking
There’s no avoiding the fact that smoking gives you yellow teeth and bad breath, and it’s expensive. Although you may not want to quit smoking just before the festive season, why not make quitting one New Year’s resolution that will be successful?
Consider Teeth Whitening
If you are looking for something with greater impact, come and see us for a professional teeth whitening treatment in Courtice. Our in-chair teeth whitening treatments can lift the overall colour of your teeth by several shades, creating a noticeable difference in as little as an hour. Alternatively, ask us about a custom-made whitening kit. This takes a little longer, usually about two weeks, where you wear your custom-made whitening trays for a few hours each day or overnight to achieve excellent results. As a bonus, the whitening trays can be reused when you need a top-up to keep your smile looking its sparkling best.