How You Can Keep Your Teeth White

Your smile says a lot about you. The way we eat, our habits and the aging process can all contribute to staining your teeth. If you worry about having teeth that are less-than-dazzling, it might be worth it to incorporate a few practices into your daily routine that will help you keep your teeth white.

From foods you should avoid to the best oral health practices, here are a few tips on how to keep your teeth healthy and white.

Practice Good Oral Hygiene

If you want to keep your teeth looking clean, you’ll need to make sure to practice good daily oral hygiene. This includes brushing your teeth at least twice a day (once in the morning, once at night, and once after lunch if you’re really good). Make sure to floss your teeth at least once a day to keep your gums healthy and keep plaque out of the spaces between your teeth. And of course, use mouthwash at the end of your routine. However, make sure to use mouthwash that won’t stain your teeth. Many antibacterial mouthwashes contain chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride that stains teeth. Look out for whitening toothpaste and whitening fluoride mouthwashes.

Remember, prevention is better than a cure. So make sure to also stop in with your dentist for a bi-annual check-up and professional teeth cleaning as a part of your preventative dentistry.

Foods to Avoid

Some of the foods and drinks to avoid if trying to keep your teeth white are:

• Sugary drinks: Bacteria in the mouth breaks down simple sugars and produces acids, which can erode tooth enamel and create pits where cavities form. Carbonation increases acidity.
  Lollies and sweet snacks: Loaded with sugar that increases the acid levels, as well, sticky and gummy lollies are the biggest threat because they stick to teeth, making it hard for saliva to wash them away.
• Coffee, tea and red wine: Three of our favourites, but unfortunately, these three not only raise the acid levels in our mouth’s bacteria, but, as they are sipped and are dark in colour, they serve to easily stain our teeth. A good tip is to drink these drinks or other sugary drinks through a straw in order to avoid too much of the liquid hitting and staining your teeth.
• Smoking: Ok, not a food. But everyone knows, or at least should know, that smoking causes gross tobacco stains on your teeth that get ever harder to remove by brushing the longer you smoke.

Foods to Eat For Whiter Teeth

Some foods are actually helpful to keeping your teeth white. In fact, celery, apples, pears and carrots trigger a lot of saliva, which helps wash away food debris on your teeth. Sugarless gum also helps by triggering saliva and neutralising the acid that causes tooth decay.

In-Chair Teeth Whitening

If you really want to whiten your teeth, there’s one quick and sure fire way to do so. Visit Showground Dental and ask about our in-chair teeth whitening service.

For more information about preventative dentistry or for a quote on our teeth whitening services in Brisbane, please get in touch with Showground Dental in the heart of Bowen Hills today. Call us on 07 3852 2882 or contact us online.