• Brush after every meal. Without this, you cannot ensure clean teeth. Make sure you leave a gap of an hour after a meal before you pick up the toothbrush.

• Floss your teeth immediately after you have brushed. Make sure you floss at least once everyday.
• Gently scrape your tongue once everyday. Make sure you do not clean your tongue too hard.
• Rinse your mouth well after you have eaten or drunk anything. This helps clean your mouth and prevent bad breath.
• Use a good mouthwash to rinse your mouth once a day. This will help freshen up your breath and keep bad breath at bay.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water on a daily basis. This helps keep your mouth clean and hydrated at all times, warding off several dental and gum problems.
• Consume at least one daily product. This gives you the much-needed calcium for the teeth.
• Bite into a fruit at one meal in a day. Avoid drinking fruit juices as the sweet liquid tends to erode the surface of the teeth.

And don’t forget to visit your dentist every six months.

Happy smiling!

Please go ahead and ridicule me. Even I don’t like my shallow self. But you have to agree that bad breath is a big turn-off. The simplest way to ensure you don’t sport the foul breath is to follow a good dental care routine.

You have got to make sure that your mouth is clean at all times. Clean your mouth after your meals and even between meals after you snack. Cleaning the mouth involves leaning the teeth, the tongue, and the gums. So, make sure that you do not skip any part of the daily dental care. Make the tasks of brushing, flossing, and tongue scrapping as important as eating and sleeping. And yeah, rinse. When you can’t brush, rinse your mouth thoroughly even if you have had just a sip of coffee or a piece of cookie.

Also, you have to see to it that you visit your dentist regularly. Regular dental check-ups ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy. If you and your dentist cannot find an obvious reason for bad breath, consult your doctor. Strong medication or an internal disorder can be factors leading to bad breath.

What do you do to make sure your wit and wisdom are not shadowed by something shallow?

• Brush after every meal. Why? This helps your mouth clean and keep bacteria at bay. You won’t have stains on your teeth, bad breath, other dental and gum problems if you adopt this habit.

• Floss your teeth immediately after you have brushed. This will help keep the mouth clean. You need to floss only once a day. Flossing helps you reach the farthest corners of your teeth. I would say you floss just after you have brushed your teeth before hitting the bed.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water not only keeps your mouth clean but also keeps it hydrated. Also, water will help your overall health, making your smile glow more.
• Eat fruits instead of drinking the juices. If you are hungry, go for a glass of water, not for a glass of juice. And if you are hungry, just eat a fruit. Fruit juices can wash away the enamel of your teeth. It is important you avoid them. And if you ever have to drink a juice, use a straw.

Happy smiling!

Contouring and reshaping: These are methods to fix broken, chipped, or crooked teeth. Along with correcting the shape of your teeth, contouring helps change the length of your teeth.

Enamel micro-abrasion: It is a method by which the stained teeth are rubbed with a compound to remove any stains and spots.

Invisible braces: These braces can magically fix your teeth without embarrassing you. These braces correct the shape of your teeth set from behind the teeth so that no one else can find out that you are wearing braces.

Veneers: They are part of a restorative treatment in which a thin layer of material is used to cover your tooth in order to prevent further damage to it. Veneers are also used for cosmetic purposes only; they help improve the look of your teeth.

Bonding: It helps hide spots and stains, cover any chip in the teeth or fill a gap. It involves applying an enamel-like material to the teeth and fixing it to make it a part of the teeth.

Zoom whitening: It is a process that whitens your teeth in less than an hour! Moreover, there aren’t any major side-effects. People with sensitive teeth may feel an itchy sensation but that’s temporary. Your dentist will prescribe you something to reduce the sensitivity of your teeth before the procedure.

So, what are you waiting for? Visit your dental clinic today.

Happy smiling!

Skipping some teeth or parts of them while brushing: This is a mistake that most of us are in the habit of making. If you skip brushing a tooth or parts of teeth, you will make bacteria flourish in the parts that remain unclean. And you know the dangers of that.

Not rinsing your mouth every time you eat or drink anything: Rinsing your mouth with plain water, better with a good mouthwash helps keep your mouth clean and moist. This also keeps your mouth hydrated, protecting you from gum diseases.

Rubbing the tongue vigorously with the brush: It is important that you apply gentle moves to clean your tongue else you run the risk of scratching it, inviting bacteria to reside on the scratched surface.

Not flossing everyday: Most of us find excuses for not flossing. We find it too troublesome. However, for healthy teeth, it is important that you floss once everyday. You may fix a flossing time everyday, even if it is in the latter half of the day.

Using a tattered toothbrush: Invest in a soft-bristled toothbrush when you see your toothbrush wearing out. In fact, start changing your toothbrush every three months for better dental care. An old or tattered toothbrush is not only incapable of cleaning your teeth properly but it also tends to collect germs over a period of time.

Not brushing the teeth before going to bed: This is also a mistake most of us make. The bacteria in the residual food inside your mouth play up while you are sleeping. Make sure you do not have any food residue in your mouth when you go to sleep.

If you are still reading, the best way to take care of your teeth is by giving them due attention. Let me tell you what you need to do.

• Brush your teeth at least two times a day, preferably after meals. You must brush once before going to the bed.

• Floss your teeth once a day. This cleans your teeth thoroughly.
• Scrap your tongue gently once a day. Cleaning the teeth is not enough. However, the tongue should not be scraped too hard as it may open the pores for bacteria.
• Make fiber a part of every meal of yours. Go for vegetables and whole fruits. This helps clean your mouth and takes care of your overall health.
• Keep your mouth hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the. This prevents the formation of bacteria in the mouth.
• Rinse your mouth after you have consumed anything, be it a sip of milk or a biscuit.
• Visit your dentist once very six months. Visit sooner if you notice any sign of a dental problem.

Isn’t this routine simple?

Keep smiling!

EAT fruits and cheese.
Citrus fruits like lemon, guava, orange, grapefruit, and tangerine provide the necessary vitamin C required by the body. The deficiency of vitamin C causes gums to bleed. It is important to make citrus fruits a part of our daily diet. The vitamin C comes from the citric acid in the fruits.

Among all the dairy products, cheese is probably the most favorite. You will be happy to know that this tasty product is very good for you, of course when consumed in moderation. Cheese provides the necessary calcium to keep your teeth and bones healthy. If you dislike the taste of milk, go for cheese. It will definitely help you say ‘Cheese’ for as long as you live.

DRINK tea, not alcohol.
It has been found that drinking tea is not detrimental to your dental health but advantageous. Tea contains fluoride which is good for your teeth. Tea, like water, keeps our mouth hydrated, thereby preventing oral problems.

It is important to clean the mouth after consuming tea as tea may cause stains on the teeth.

GO OUT in the sun.
Vitamin D is an important vitamin for maintaining overall health. It also helps prolong the life of our teeth. So, just step out into the sun and you have got an important vitamin in your body. Should you shun your sunscreen or the UV-glasses? No, take all the necessary precautions to make sure the sun does not burn you. What you need is a 10-minutes exposure to the sun twice a week. Is it too much given your sunny smile is at stake?

Happy smiling!

Plaque

Plaque is a soft layer of bacteria that usually accumulates near the gum line and in the hard-to-reach places between your teeth. Plaque is harmful to the teeth and gums. If plaque is not removed on a regular basis, it can become hard and affect your teeth more adversely.

Now you know why your parents, teachers, and dentists always asked you to brush and floss regularly.

Tartar

Tartar refers to the hard, visible deposits on your teeth along your gum line. It can be usually identified by the contrast it poses against the teeth in terms of color. Tartar is usually yellow or light brown.

Unfortunately, you and I cannot remove tartar on our own. Thus, we need to take care to prevent the formation of tartar.

Cavities

Cavities are holes in the teeth, an indication of teeth decay. Cavities are a result of plaque in the mouth. The bacteria present in the plaque releases acids that erode the outer surface of our teeth, the enamel.

It is advised that you get your teeth checked once in a while for cavities. Cavities are difficult to catch on our own. In case you develop cavities, your dentist will remove the rotten parts and fill in the holes in your teeth.

Caries

This is another name for dental cavities.

Calculus

Tartar is often referred to as calculus.

Well, halitosis is just a fancy name for bad breath. That is how your doctors and dentists will refer to it.

How can I find out if I have bad breath?

It is believed that the person sporting bad breath never knows he/she has it. Well, not always. If I have bad breath, I know it. And this is true for several of my friends. Do we have special powers? No, we are just conscious. If you are not sure you have bad breath, here is a very easy way to find that out:

Lick the back of your palm with your tongue. Let the palm dry for a few seconds and then, smell it. If the hand smells foul, you have bad breath.

Should I be concerned if I have bad breath most of the time?

Yes. While bad breath essentially signifies poor oral hygiene, there may be a deep-rooted underlying cause of the foul smell coming out of your mouth. You should see your dentist to find out the reason behind it.

What causes bad breath?

Here are some of the major culprits that cause bad breath:

• Smoking and consumption of tobacco in other forms

• Eating food that has onion and garlic
• Improper dental care
• Insufficient water intake causing dry mouth

How can I prevent bad breath?

How about following a good dental care routine for starters? Brush an hour after each meal. If you have eaten pungent food, make sure you rinse your mouth thoroughly. Use a mouthwash to rinse your mouth.

Are there any quick-fixes for bad breath?

Aargh! This is not really my favorite section. I don’t like quick-fixes, but yes, I do understand you need them at times. If you suspect you have bad breath, rinse your mouth first and then chew on mint leaves, parsley, green cardamom, or anise seeds.

• Excessive smoking

• Consumption of tobacco in any other form
• Excessive consumption of alcohol
• Poor oral hygiene accompanied by one the above factors
• Too much exposure to the sun’s UV rays

Now, each of the above-mentioned causes can be avoided. Here’s what you got to do if you don’t want oral cancer.

• Visit your dentist if you have a dental problem and get it treated.

• Cut down on smoking and the usage of tobacco in any other form.
• Cut down on drinking alcohol.
• Visit your dentist every six months for check-ups.

What you essentially need is to pay a little attention to your oral health. There are times when people ignore the warning signs of cancer. Let’s look at the most common symptoms of the problem:

• Swelling on the inside of the cheek

• Red or white patches on the lips or inside the mouth
• Blister on the lips or inside the mouth
• Sudden voice change
• Sudden misalignment of teeth or dentures
• Bleeding in the mouth
• Unexplained pain in the throat and ears
• Numbness in some parts of the mouth
• Sore throat not borne out of common cold

What should you do if you find out that you have oral cancer? Don’t panic; timely treatment can help you. You may be required to undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery.

It is important you take adequate steps to prevent oral cancer. Take good care of your oral health.