How to Prevent Your Smile from Aging
Our mouths can say a lot about our age and our smiles even age faster than we think. As we get older, our teeth begin to change — from shifts in color to the wearing down of our enamel and beyond. There’s a whole host of ways in which our teeth can change, but thankfully, proper care can keep them looking their best for years to come. Today, we invite you to explore our tips on keeping your smile healthy. With good habits, you can ensure your smile remains at its captivating best.
How to Keep Your Smile Looking Healthy
The ways in which you can keep your smile looking healthy are numerous. So numerous, in fact, that we’ve decided to break a few of them out for you here so you can reference them easily in the future.
Whiten Your Teeth
In some cases, a professional tooth whitening is all you need to keep that dazzling smile at its best. It’s a simple process, normally involving a gel that can penetrate tooth enamel and remove stains in dentin (the layer of the teeth underneath the enamel). This leads to a whiter look, and greater confidence in your smile. To top it all off, research shows that professional whitening methods are both safe and effective.
Select a Lipstick that Makes Your Teeth Look Whiter
It’s not something you might think about immediately, but the shade of lipstick you choose to wear can influence how white your teeth appear. It’s all about undertones and the way colors play off of one another.
Dark colors, and colors with yellow undertones, will make any stains on your teeth appear more noticeable. On the flipside, though, colors with blue undertones will have the opposite effect, making your teeth appear whiter and stains less noticeable.
Reshape Your Smile with Braces or Invisalign
Crooked teeth can make us reluctant to show that smile, but thankfully, misaligned teeth can be a fairly easy fix with methods like braces and Invisalign. Both work to realign teeth and help them appear straighter, and options like Invisalign are clear and removable, so they’re less noticeable than braces.
Consider Gum Regression
Receding gums can detract from the appearance of your smile, and while gum regression might simply due to age, there are also preventable factors that contribute to the condition you should stay aware of.
A lack of dental care, aggressive brushing habits, and periodontal diseases might all play a role, so it’s important to care for your teeth regularly (brushing, flossing, etc.) without going at it too hard. You might want to consider switching to an electric toothbrush if you have a habit of brushing with too much force. To learn more, be sure to check out some of these easy to follow tips for healthy gums.
Try Veneers
If you’re looking to correct small imperfections in your smile that are making you unhappy, veneers might be an option worth looking into. These ceramics are customized to your teeth and permanently bonded to them, so they can correct your smile without any out-of-the-ordinary care beyond your normal brushing/flossing routine.
Consider What You Eat and Drink
Don’t forget that what you eat and drink can have a considerable impact on your dental health. As a general rule, you’ll want to avoid sugary foods, as they can agitate harmful bacteria in your mouth and contribute to tooth decay. Substitute healthy food choices whenever possible, and you’ll be able to preserve your smile for longer.
Whatever methods you employ to keep your teeth looking healthy, regular trips to the dentist should be central to your strategy. Be sure to schedule an appointment to learn more about our services and how we can keep your smile looking radiant.
