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Eat Your Way to a Whiter Smile

October 2, 2013

Eat Your Way to a Whiter Smile

There’s no doubt about it, everyone wants a whiter smile. Whiter teeth look healthier, dazzle in photos and on screen, and help raise your self esteem. Nobody wants teeth that are yellow or coffee-stained. Of course, there are a variety of toothpastes and mouthwashes that all promise us a whiter smile.

A trip to the dentist and proper brushing techniques help promote a healthy white smile, but you can also get a whiter smile by eating the right foods. By following a healthy diet and avoiding certain snacks, you can start having a healthy mouth, too.

Avoid sugar and candy

Naturally, avoiding sugary snacks and candy should be a given. Not only is it not healthy for your body, but sugar can also wreak havoc on your teeth. Sugar will increase acidity levels from the bacteria in your mouth. The sugar from soda will also encourage bacteria in your mouth to break down, increasing the release of acid that can weaken the enamel on your teeth and produce cavities. Candy that is sticky or gummy will stick to your teeth, making it hard for saliva to clean it away.

Drink more water

Water is healthy for your body and your smile. When you drink water, it helps wash away any acid-producing foods in your mouth. If you don’t have time to brush your teeth, a quick swish of water can help wash away that excess food. Always try to choose water over soda or other sugary drinks.

Add cheese and milk to your diet

Since childhood, you have always been told to drink your milk. Drinking milk also helps promote proper dental health. Both cheese and milk protect the enamel on teeth and help keep cavities at bay. They also encourage more production of saliva, which can help neutralize the acidity levels in your mouth. Not only do they neutralize acid, but cheese and milk also act as a buffer, protecting tooth enamel from erosion.

Sugar-free chewing gum: Not a bad habit after all

Do you like to chew gum? As long as it is sugar-free, it’s not a bad habit. Chewing gum increases saliva production in your mouth, which neutralizes acid and protects enamel. When there is more saliva in your mouth, it helps wash out food to avoid contact with your teeth. If you have a craving for a snack or something sweet, sugar-free gum is a healthy substitute.

Maintaining a whiter smile with your diet can be very simple when you follow the right steps. By simply eating healthier foods, adding dairy products, avoiding sugar and brushing daily, you can have a whiter and brighter smile. There’s nothing like that sense of confidence when you smile and show off those pearly whites!

About the author:

Dr. Joseph Zelig, D.D.S., is a Board Certified Periodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. A practicing periodontist, speaker and educator, Dr. Zelig is currently practicing at Smile in the City (http://www.smileinthecity.com/) located in Manhattan, New York.

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Filed Under: Beauty Food Tagged: naturally whiten teeth, whiten teeth

Non-Toxic Ways to Whiten Your Teeth

June 17, 2013

Smiling Lips

Are you shy about showing your pearly…(uhh…)teeth? Yeah, I am. I’m also guilty to voracious consumption of coffee and tea on a daily basis, thus leaving my teeth unworthy of being shown to the public masses. I’ve tried whitening toothpaste to minimal results. I’ve tried and failed at giving up my caffeine fix. And I am wary of actual whitening stripes. Hear me out as to why.

Whitening stripes are toxic. Simple as that. It warns me not to ingest the residue while it stays on my teeth. That, is simply impossible. My mouth produces saliva every second and I simply cannot be sitting at a sink for 15 minutes straight just to spit it out. Also, they cause chemical burn. I felt the sensation of searing burn once I put it on my teeth, which, at first gave me a sign that it was working. However, upon taking it off, my teeth felt soft. Not good at all. It also irritated my gums. What cause it is the hydrogen peroxide found in this product. Yikes! Upon ingestion (which could not be helped at times), this stuff can also burn throat, stomach and gut.

So, what to do? RESEARCH. My vanity would not give up so I decided to do a bit of searching for alternatives (and heck, I was also being cheap) and here are some non-toxic ways to whiten your teeth:

1.Baking Soda: Oh the many miracles baking soda can cause upon cleaning disasters.  All you do is put toothpaste on your brush and dip your brush in baking soda. Boom, in one week (yes with caffeine consumption) you will see a noticeable difference in the shade of your teeth!

2. Strawberries: Say what?! Yes, these red babies have malic acid in their arsenal, which helps in remove stains naturally and the vitamin c also helps in removing plaque.

3. Electric toothbrush: Plain and simple, and relatively cheap. It has the vigor to effective clean your teeth that sometime we don’t possess with our hands.

So, here you are, try these solutions out and please let us know what you think!

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Filed Under: Beauty Tagged: naturally whiten teeth, Non-Toxic Ways to Whiten Your Teeth

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