Keep your pearly whites bright! 7 tips….

Some easy-to-follow advice for our Bedford patients

There is little doubt that a nice white smile is usually an attractive smile. It is sometimes even said that people make a decision about us within the first few seconds of meeting; so if this is true, then to  greet them with a warm, bright smile is perhaps the most positive thing that we can do.

Whilst some people may be more fortunate than others genetically in having whiter teeth, even these will be affected if not looked after properly. With this in mind, in our blog today we will take a look at a number of tips that can help our local Bedford patients to have beautiful white teeth for longer.

Keep your teeth clean – It should be an obvious statement that brushing your teeth will help to remove a great deal of daily staining from the surface enamel. In addition to this, brushing, along with flossing between the teeth, goes a long way to protect against decay and gum disease.

Don’t over brush – It is worth adding to the above tip, that you should make sure that you brush correctly. Our dental hygienist can demonstrate the best way, however, you must also make sure not to brush too hard. This can damage the enamel and create pits and cracks that staining products can stick to more easily.

Stop smoking – Smoking can lead to some serious oral health issues, including gum disease and oral cancer. From a cosmetic viewpoint, it is also one of the worst things that you can do if you want to have white teeth. The tar which sticks to the surface of your teeth will gradually turn them yellow, or even a dark shade of brown and may ultimately require treatment such as dental veneers to improve their appearance.

Avoid teeth staining food and drinks in excess – Tea, coffee and red wine are well known to stain teeth, due to the tannin they contain. Some darker coloured food products, such as berries and soy sauce can also have a similar effect. Avoiding these in excess will help to keep your teeth white.

Have your teeth professionally cleaned – A ‘scale and polish’ performed by our Bedford dental hygienist helps to remove hardened deposits (‘tartar’) from between the teeth and the gum line, helping you to prevent gum disease. We also clean and polish the surface of the teeth which helps to remove staining.

Don’t accept discoloured teeth – The fact is that, however well you follow the above advice, you can only prolong the whiteness of your teeth for so long. As we grow older, the inner part of our teeth darken in colour, leaving them looking discoloured and yellow. Our fast acting teeth whitening procedure can whiten your teeth by up to eight shades, and can be repeated whenever you feel that your teeth are losing their sparkle.

Never risk your teeth – A word of warning not to try any whitening procedures that you may have seen on the Internet. They are extremely unlikely to work and may well damage your teeth. A classic example of this is the suggestion that you can use lemon juice to whiten your teeth. Even if this did work, the acids in the lemon juice would damage the enamel, causing erosion and a higher risk of decay.

At The Dental Centre Bedford, we have a wide range of dental treatments that can help to restore your smile. If you are unhappy with the way that your teeth look, why not discuss it with one of our friendly dentists by calling us on 01234 819868.