We can talk about makeup, beauty tricks, skincare and all the accessories in the world, and yet there is one simple thing that makes or breaks any look. Imagine seeing a perfectly put-together person, and then they smile with yellow, crooked teeth. It immediately makes the person look less beautiful, just like a pretty smile can make you look stunning and approachable even when you’ve just woken up. But how do you get that perfect smile? Actually, having that Hollywood smile is not that difficult, and if you stick to some habits and tricks, your teeth will be picture-perfect in no time.
Healthy before beautiful
You simply can’t have a pretty smile if your teeth and gums aren’t healthy, and the first step to a good smile is getting it perfectly healthy. For starters, you need to set healthy routines. This means brushing your teeth at least two times per day, but preferably after every meal. This isn’t just to get the garlic scent out of your breath; its main purpose is actually to remove any residual food from your teeth. Food residue will ultimately attract harmful bacteria or turn to acid that attacks your teeth and gums, making them rotten. And for the places that the brush can’t reach, make sure you floss.
Natural bleach
There are a lot of products you can buy to get your teeth to be whiter and brighter. However, if used regularly, not only can these become a high expense, but they can also damage your teeth since they use a lot of aggressive chemicals to give you fast results. A better option is to go natural: mix together baking soda and a bit of lemon juice, and apply it to your teeth with a toothbrush. Leave it for a minute and rinse out. Because it’s natural, it won’t give and instant effect, but it also won’t damage your teeth.
Never too late to straighten
You might have had the best oral hygiene habits from day one, but if you’ve been dealt the wrong cards in the game of genes, you still might have some crooked teeth. It’s important to know that there are options for straightening them even if your parents didn’t get you braces when you were small. Professionals like my orthodontic in Chatswood offer options such as Invisalign, which are invisible braces that you can take off when you need to. This way, you can straighten your natural teeth without any feeling of embarrassment.
The food to eat
We already know that the food we eat greatly impacts every single part of our bodies. It’s the fuel we use to get through the day and grow, and it also impacts the quality of our teeth.
First, let’s address staining: anything that you wouldn’t want smeared all over a new white shirt, you should limit on your teeth, because our teeth aren’t actually all that solid and will suck in some of the substances they come in contact with. This means that red wine, coffee, dark berries and similar foods play a big role in the state of your teeth.
But, there are other foods, like sesame oil, which prevents plaque and gingivitis, or broccoli, which protects our teeth from acid and apples. Apples actually have a similar affect as chewing gum: chewing something plenty of times will let saliva accumulate in your mouth, which will naturally get rid of food residue and neutralize acids in your mouth, protecting your teeth. Foods high in calcium will strengthen your teeth and they are particularly important for kids while they are developing.
It’s important to remember that a natural smile isn’t blindingly white, and when you see celebrities with such smiles, you can rest assured that they are either heavily bleached by different chemicals and with a lot of professional help, or that they are retouched after the photo’s been taken. You want to make sure first and foremost that your teeth area is healthy and that it allows you to eat normally, because difficulties to chew or sensitivities to foods can change your diet or even make you malnourished. Visit your dentist regularly, because finding problems while they’re still in early stages is a fool-proof way to keep a beautiful smile for a long time.
