How to Keep Teeth Healthy Your smile is only as beautiful as your teeth. No, it's not a brilliant quote from some unknown author passed down through the ages. But it is a fact. Have you ever seen someone who had unhealthy teeth, but had a beautiful smile? Not very likely. Healthy teeth are vital to a vibrant, beautiful smile. And a vibrant smile is important to a vibrant, active life. And the great thing about healthy teeth is that they're relatively easy to have. In fact, teeth may be the easiest thing in our bodies to maintain, especially since they're so easy to see. Think about it. You can't see your heart, or your lungs, or any of the other organs in your body that are hidden by muscles and bones and skin. But your teeth, well, you see those every time you look in the mirror... if you're lucky, right? Wrong! It doesn't take luck to keep teeth healthy. For the most part, all it really takes is a few minutes a day. Here are some tips from cosmetic dentists in Clearwater about how to maintain your healthy smile in just a few simple steps. For the most part, keeping teeth and gums healthy is about three things: oral hygiene routine, diet, and checkups. 1) Oral hygiene routine Your teeth are only as healthy as you make them. If you do observe a healthy oral hygiene routine, that takes just minutes a day by the way, you'll likely have healthy teeth your entire lifetime. And you can't have a good oral health routine without brushing and flossing. Brushing teeth at least twice a day is key to a healthy mouth. Choose a toothbrush that has soft-to-medium bristles, since firm bristles can cause damage to gums, especially for those who brush vigorously. Add to that at least once-daily flossing, and you've got the fundamentals of an ideal oral hygiene routine. What's that? Why floss, you ask? Simple. No matter how high-powered your toothbrush, if you're not flossing, you're probably not getting out all the food particles from between your teeth. Finally, when it comes to an oral hygiene routine, it's always helpful to add an extra step of rinsing with an antiseptic mouthwash that helps to wash away bad bacteria, keeping the mouth free of gingivitis. If you have let your dental routine laps and would like to improve your smile you should consider contacting a dentist to do a smile makeover in Clearwater. 2) Diet
It's probably pretty obvious to most folks that eating sugary, sticky, processed foods that stick to the teeth is bad for you. But what about the foods you should eat to keep your teeth healthy? While it's true there are foods that are bad for your teeth, it's also true there are foods that are good for them. For instance, adding raw, crunchy fruits and/or vegetables to your daily diet not only will help to clean your teeth. They also help to give your teeth the nutrients they need to thrive. Additionally, raw foods such as celery contain water that also helps to hydrate the mouth, keeping teeth happy and free of bad bacteria. Below is information about nutrients that are vital to keeping teeth healthy. Calcium Tooth rock star! Yes, calcium is one of the most vital nutrients to teeth because it healthy growth as well as maintenance of tooth and bone structures. Calcium is also associated with healthy enamel. Phosphorous Phosphorous helps keep tooth and bone structure healthy and also helps to promote healthy growth and maintenance. Vitamin A Vitamin A is important for the teeth because it's important to mucosal tissue function. Vitamin D Vitamin D helps to in remineralization of tooth enamel. It's also helpful in keeping mucosal tissue healthy. Protein Protein is highly important to teeth and surroundings structures because it helps in maintaining proper structure and optimal immune function. It's also beneficial for optimal development of connective tissue. 3) Twice-yearly checkups Finally, one of the most important steps in keeping teeth healthy is regular bi-annual visits to your family dentist. Your dentist is able to note changes going on in your mouth long before you can. Those changes that may be occurring could be detrimental to teeth if they're not caught early, especially when it comes to tooth decay, tooth or tooth structure weakening, or even signs that oral cancers may be forming. Everybody wants to be happy. In fact, happiness is so important it was even mentioned in one of the most important historical documents of our country! And, if you're happy,
well, it should show, right? Unfortunately, if your teeth aren't healthy, you could be the happiest person on Earth, and it's very likely no one would even know it. The happiness you feel is something you should be able to spread around, but if your smile is unattractive because you don't have healthy teeth, you're probably keeping it to yourself. For more tips on getting back your healthy, beautiful smile, talk to your dentist at your next bi-annual checkup. And if you're smile has seen better days, contact a cosmetic dentist for recommendations concerning other methods of restoring your teeth, including teeth whitening and other procedures that are meant to give your back your healthy smile.