Don’t you just envy celebrities and supermodels because of their picture-perfect smiles? Don’t you ever think of how you can be just like them? Well, good teeth do not just come naturally. Most people ought to put a lot of effort into them. Check out why teeth turn yellowish in this article: https://www.livescience.com/54420-yellow-teeth.html.
If your set of pearly whites are not exactly as white and pearly as you want them to be, it is up to you to make it happen. You cannot just keep on looking at other people’s faces and wish that you can project a smile as perfect as theirs. If you really want something, you should be ready to put in the work.
I may have made it sound like there is a lot of backbreaking work involved with fixing up your teeth but really, it is not as daunting as it sounds. In fact, getting that picture-perfect smile is quite easy. You just need the right advice – which is exactly what we are giving you today for free! Just read on below if you want to know more about achieving that Insta-perfect smile!
But first, let us talk about the real value of a smile. Just to get you motivated enough to actually want to improve yours.
What is in A Smile?
More than pictures, the true value of a smile lies in its magical ability to reach deep into the hearts of people. It does not even matter if you are the most beautiful on the planet or not. It does not matter if you do not have the slimmest face or the most adorable facial features. A smile has that magical effect that instantly lights up a person’s face. It brings out the “pretty” in all people from all walks of life.
You may not be the number one fan of your own smile but trust me; someone out there will care for it more than you will ever do. Also, you never know whose hearts your smile had touched and who else it will affect in the future.
Unbeknownst to you, that simple glee on your face could’ve saved someone from a very dark place (read more). That simple gesture could have brought light into someone’s world again. A smile is not just for Instagram or Snapchat, or wherever else on social media.
It is something to be shared, from the bottom of your heart, towards friends you have not met yet. This simple expression of happiness is contagious so make sure you affect everyone around you with it.
A smile can even feel more positive if you also feel comfortable and confident about flashing it, and you can only do that if you put in much effort into dental care.
So first up, here are some of the qualities you need to have to improve your face’s greatest feature:
- Consistency
Great teeth do not come at too great a cost. In fact, it is easy to achieve a picture-perfect smile. It will not require too much work either. All you need to be is consistent.
When we say consistent, it means being able to commit to a certain oral health care routine. Dentists advise people following the 2 x 2 x 2 rule. This rule states that a person must brush his or her teeth at least TWICE a day for TWO minutes and floss at least TWICE daily, especially after big and hefty meals.
Following this rule consistently will help you preserve or even improve the current state of your teeth. And therefore, improving your chances of getting that picture-perfect smile in no time!
- Commitment
It is hard to fight off routine when it starts to take over. When you are so used to doing something daily, it tends to bore you. In other words, you get tired of having to do the activity repeatedly.
You might even forget to do it sometimes because in your head, you are already done with it. This is when lapses happen, and you begin to intentionally forego certain dental care practices because they are starting to become a pain to do.
Well, don’t. If you want to achieve that picture-perfect smile, you must know how to work for it. After all, it is not a one-time thing. You ought to thrive for it consistently and committedly. Even if you opt for a quick fix – say, get a deep cleaning done – it still would not last long if you are poor with the follow-through. To get that perfect smile, you need to do your part as well.
For you to feel better about your dental care routine, you should just erase the word “routine” off your head completely. Instead, replace it with “habit.” That is right. Make it into “dental care habits.” Habits are things you do out of compulsion, right? Then, dental care practices like brushing and flossing would certainly make good habits. That is for sure.
A Drive for Perfection
Finally, you need to be insistent when it comes to perfection. Not everything about your life may be perfect but your smile surely can be. For you to achieve it, however, you should refuse to settle for anything less.
Perfection might be a strong word, but you know what they say, “If you’re going to aim for something anyway, might as well aim higher.” That picturesque smile is not so hard to achieve when you work your hardest for it
Never think of your efforts as a waste of time. The little things you do consistently such as brushing your teeth, flossing after meals, using mouthwash and a high-quality teeth whitening kit, as well as avoiding teeth staining and damaging foods will go a long way. Committedly attending your dental appointments as scheduled will have a lasting impact as well. So, do not be afraid to go the extra mile! I am sure many will appreciate that perfect smile.
On the contrary, do you know what the number one enemy of that perfect smile of yours is? Sugar – or what becomes of it after you eat it, to be precise!
Here is how sweet, sweet sugar – albeit indirectly – can destroy your well-maintained pearls.
Does Sugar Really Cause Cavities?
When you are young, your ears grow deaf just hearing your mom rant about your excessive intake of candies and sweet treats. But being a child, it is not like you can help it. When you are young, everything about your body feels brand new.
You feel like you are on top of the world – the king of it even. You do not worry about getting Diabetes or anything of the sort. The worst you fear is probably a stomachache; that is it. Sweet treats look heavenly in the eyes of a child. In fact, many of us never outgrow our love for sweet stuff. To this day, you are still probably hooked to the sugary goodness of candies and pastries.
Growing up with sugar also teaches you how dangerous eating sweets can be. You begin to realize why your parents used to be so melodramatic when it came to reprimanding you from sugary treats. Aside from the growing risks of lifestyle diseases, there is one more immediate, more imminent threat: Cavities.
If you have always had that sweet tooth with you, then you have probably been to the dentist enough to know that you are not supposed to be eating all that sugar. When you are a child, losing your milk teeth is nothing big. You are confident about them growing back later on anyways.
Being temporarily toothless is not such an embarrassing thing when every other kid your age also has teeth falling one after another. But when you have grown into your adult teeth, once you complete your permanent set, things begin to change.
The fact that you can lose your pearly whites comes creeping into your awareness and you begin to distance yourself from bad habits. Normally, this works. But let us just say that your case might not exactly be what you would call “normal.”
Your love for sugar is just too strong to ignore.
Losing one molar or pre-molar is still doable. It is not like you will have them out when you smile or talk, especially if it is on the bottom end. But when you start losing your front-liners or the ones you show when you wear a big smile, that’s when things start to become difficult – not to mention scary!
If this reality scares you to death but completely detaching from sweets is an equally tragic option for you, it is still possible to get the best of both worlds. You just have to be much disciplined when it comes to your dental care. Remember: Food tastes better when you chew with your own teeth. Let this reminder be a source of your motivation.
But first things first: Is sugar really the cause of cavities?
How Is Sugar Linked to Bad Teeth?
Your mother yelling at you and telling you not to eat sugar all the time gives you the idea that sugar is bad for the teeth – that it is the main cause of tooth decay. But if we are strictly going to be technical about this, it is not really sugar that is the culprit here. It simply hastens the process which is why it is considered bad. Bacteria, not sugar, are what causes tooth decay.
Here is why sugar is strongly linked as a factor:
Sugar or glucose is something that we naturally get from the food we eat. Even if we do not actually eat sweet things or desserts, some food we regularly take is still processed into glucose. Since the process takes place in the stomach, you are probably wondering why this has anything to do with your teeth.
Well, let me ask you: When you eat, how sure are you that you are able to swallow everything clean?
When you chew, grind, or process food in your mouth, tiny residues get left behind in the crevices of your teeth, in between your gums, and some food particles even get stuck in the tongue, palate, and wherever else.
Since these so-called “particles” tend to be microscopic, it is not like you can see them being stuck there. This is why we mostly just ignore the threat. If it is something you cannot see, why bother?
However, the longer they are stuck everywhere inside your mouth, the higher they increase the acidity level inside. Bacteria happen to thrive and proliferate much faster in places that are particularly high in acidity. It is amplified in locations where actual food is stuck. Read more about this here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-sugar-destroys-teeth.
So as an example, let us say that a tiny shard of candy got stuck in between your two molars. You are not a big fan of brushing or flossing so it got stuck there for days. Over time, as that microscopic piece of food metabolizes, it increases the acid levels in that area, attracting multitudes of bacteria.
They start tearing down on your teeth enamel (which is the hardest part of your body by the way so just imagine how much effort they are putting into pounding it) until, eventually, they create a gaping and painful hole. Decay does not start to hurt up until the bacteria reach a tooth nerve. However, by then, it will be too late, and the tooth will be removed by method of extraction.
Who saw that coming right? Inside that teeny, tiny mouth of yours, all these things happen day in and out. There is a lot of activity going on there. Therefore, it is very important that you pay careful attention to your dental health. Otherwise, you will end up with stained teeth and having no other choice but to pay for expensive teeth bleaching.
Bottom line is that sugar is not the culprit, but it is an accomplice. So, you can eat all the sugar you need; just make sure that you do the necessary steps to maintain your dental health.
