How to Get Perfect White Teeth

To get a terrific, self-confident smile, it's easy: take good care of your mouth. Many people don't understand that basic at-home care can lead to a star-worthy, self-esteem-building grin.

Instructions

• 1

  ELIMINATE PLAQUE
  Most important, to keep teeth and gums healthy, you need to control plaque. The first line of defense against plaque is to use a soft-bristle brush positioned at a 45-degree angle to the gums. Brush in an up-and-down motion, and spend at least 2 minutes reaching all areas of the mouth.

  Flossing is equally important, so don't skip it. To make the process easier, wrap the floss around the pointer fingers of each hand, and create a wrapping arc around the front and back of one tooth at a time. The floss needs to move under the soft tissue in a C-shaped fashion, which wipes away plaque in the critical spaces between the teeth without making the soft tissue sore-or killing your fingers. Do not dig deep into the gums.

• 2

  GREAT BREATH
  No one wants dragon breath. Avoid it with careful oral habits at home. A too often forgotten and potentially smelly area is the tongue, especially the back section where bacteria hide out most. A tongue scraper or toothbrush with an antibacterial gel will help cleanse the area. Add this to your daily routine, and you won't be worried about bad breath.

• 3

  CONTROL THE GRINDING AND CLENCHING FORCES
  Because of stress, many people have a tendency to grind or clench their teeth, often without even realizing it, which eliminates beautiful smiles in a matter of months. The telltale signs of this common problem are worn edges and teeth that don't extend past the lip line when your mouth is in a resting position.

• 4

  WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
  Once bacteria (found in plaque) is paired with sugar, tooth decay begins. My advice is to avoid sweets and eat a balanced, healthy diet. Be on the lookout for foods with natural color, such as fruits and vegetables. Also, a high-fiber diet helps remove plaque while giving you energy. Research has shown that unchecked bacteria in the mouth increase the chance of heart disease.

• 5

  NOT ALL STAINS ARE CREATED EQUAL
  Thanks to genetics, age, diet, and environmental factors, everyone gets stained teeth. While we cannot control our genetics and age, we can change the type of food and drink we ingest and therefore limit the number of new stains. Minimize discoloration - stay away from cigarettes, cigars, red wine, and coffee. Most of us have imbibed at least a little in the past. Thanks to new products, we can undo some of the damage. New whitening techniques can lighten up your teeth seven to ten shades - the technical difference between yellow and beautifully white teeth.