Guide to Caring for Your Teeth

Caring for your teeth is one of the most important health and grooming aspects. Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. And so you want to be sure that your teeth are always looking their best. Besides, your teeth are just too important not to caring of them. Gummy old men may look cute in movies, but trust me, they aren’t cute at all in real life. So if you aren’t already caring for your teeth, you’ll want to get busy right away.

Caring for your teeth starts with your toothbrush. It used to be that there were three choices when it came to toothbrushes: toothbrushes with soft bristles, toothbrushes with medium-firm bristles, and toothbrushes with firm bristles. Now, though, you could spend an afternoon in the toothbrush section of your local drugstore, scratching your head over all the choices. Oral B makes excellent toothbrushes that are angled to help caring for your back teeth and hard to reach teeth. They are also available with varying bristle firmnesses, so it’s easy to choose the one you like and need most, though dentists recommend using soft bristle brushes that won’t hurt your gums.Â

Sonic toothbrushes are extremely popular right now and are high on dentists’ list of great toothbrushes because they provide a circular motion that’s good for cleaning your teeth at the gumline. Whichever you choose, traditional or electric, be sure to brush your teeth twice, if not three times, a day and always use a toothpaste that has fluoride in it. Also, you’ll want to buy a new toothbrush every three to four months. Use a circular motion when brushing top teeth and hold the brush at a 45-degree angle between the top of the teeth and the gums when brushing the sides of teeth. Brush behind front teeth using vertical strokes.

Next, you’ll need floss. Okay, stop that groaning, guys. Caring for your teeth is essential, right? It only takes a minute or two to do and is worth it just to make sure you don’t show up at that all-important business meeting or date with something stuck between your teeth. Flossing only needs to be done once a day and can be done either in the morning or evening, whichever best suits your schedule. The importance of flossing just can’t be stressed enough because it keeps your gums healthy - which means you will have fewer dental problems down the road. And unless you like going to the dentist frequently, you’ll want to be sure to make flossing part of your everyday dental care routine.

So, you’ve done everything right, but your teeth still have a yellowish tinge that makes you want to cover your mouth when smiling or talking. Yellow or dark teeth don’t happen because of poor dental care as many people think. Many things like genetics, baseline tooth color, foods, smoking and coffee can make your teeth darken over time. Also, certain medications can cause your teeth to turn dark.

If you have this problem, don’t despair. Teeth whitening has become easier and less expensive than ever. Teeth whitening treatments can be a simple as using a teeth whitening toothpaste or teeth whitening strips. If those don’t lighten your teeth to the level you want, your dentist can provide teeth bleaching treatments that can lighten your teeth immensely, as much as six times lighter, in as little as an hour - which can really give you something to smile about.