While improving the health of your mouth goes far beyond just the appearance of your teeth, many people are motivated to improve their smile. A healthy smile is easily recognized and admired. To achieve a beautiful smile, your goal should first be to improve your oral health. Before considering cosmetic dental procedures, there are 5 things you can do on your own to make your smile look its best.

1. Brush and floss: Brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time, using fluoride toothpaste. Additionally, floss daily to remove plaque and debris from between your teeth and along the gumline. Maintaining a consistent oral hygiene routine is essential for a healthy and attractive smile.
2. Avoid or limit staining foods: Certain foods can be more likely to stain or discolor your teeth than others. A few stain-causing foods and drinks to avoid or limit are coffee, tea, red wine, and highly pigmented foods like berries. When you do consume them, rinse your mouth with water afterward or brush your teeth to minimize staining.
3. Do not use tobacco products: Tobacco use, whether smoking or chewing, can lead to significant discoloration and damage to your teeth. Quitting or reducing tobacco use can improve the appearance of your teeth and benefit your overall health.
4. Keep regular dental cleanings: Regular dental check-ups and professional cleanings are crucial for maintaining oral health and improving the appearance of your teeth. Your dentist can identify any potential issues, provide personalized advice, and perform professional cleanings to remove stubborn stains and tartar buildup.
5. Brush with baking soda occasionally: While many toothpastes have baking soda in them, adding a teaspoon of baking soda to a little toothpaste and water can give your teeth a major boost in appearance. Baking soda is a gentle but abrasive substance that can help scrub away some plaque build up and remove stains. It is important to only use it occasionally and it should not replace your toothpaste all together.  Do not brush aggressively when using baking soda because it can damage the enamel of your teeth if you scrub too hard.

If using baking soda is unbearable, there are always good whitening products such as whitening toothpaste, mouth wash, and over the counter whitening strips.

Ask your dentist

If you are wanting to determine what is best to improve your teeth, you can get personal advice from your dentist. At your next dental appointment, your dentist can also recommend a few cosmetic procedures that could greatly improve your smile. If you have deep stains on your teeth, a professional teeth whitening can make your teeth dazzle.

If you live near St. Augustine, FL and are looking for an experienced, friendly dentist, give Dr. Singh at Dental Remedies a call today.