World Oral Health Day: 10 rules for strong and sparkling white teeth

Keeping your pearly whites strong and shiny is not a difficult feat to achieve. Here are some rules to whiten your teeth.
teeth pain during winter
Teeth enamel can be affected by sugary drinks. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Dr Amogh Tanwar Updated: 19 Jul 2022, 15:35 pm IST
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On World Health Day 2022, let’s reiterate the importance of keeping your teeth clean and shiny not just for your overall health but for keeping them aesthetically pleasing too. Your smile makes your personality more pleasing and helps you exude confidence. Therefore, you should take good care of your oral health to whiten your teeth and make your pearly whites stronger for old age.

We are sharing a list of practices that keep your gums healthy and get you rid of oral problems like bad breath, bleeding gums and cavities.

Here are 10 rules that can help you whiten your teeth and keep your gums healthy:

1. Brush regularly

The first and foremost thing a person should do is to brush their teeth regularly. A normal count of 3 times per day would be good – morning, after meals and after dinner or before going to bed. Also, there are quite a few fluoride products that are available in the market which you can use at night. These may help in preventing tooth cavities. Make sure your toothbrush has soft bristles to avoid damage your enamel layer, or remove it away..

2. Floss regularly

This is also a nice and effective way of getting rid of any food particles from the surface of the teeth and the gaps between the teeth. They clean all the grooves of the teeth and prevent tooth decay. Any type of floss can be used for this oral health practice.

oral health and dementia
Flossing is a great practice for oral health. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

3. Use fluoride oral rinse

There is a rinse available which helps in preventing decay of the tooth and also helps in strengthening the outer enamel of the teeth. The hypersensitivity of the dentin layers also gets decreased due to rinse. Stannous fluoride dental rinses are available for this purpose. However, you should remember to never swallow it.

4. Try to avoid soda and cola

Cola and aerated drinks contain acids like citric acid, and phosphoric acid. They slowly react with the teeth and dissolve them. These drinks have a corrosive effect on the teeth. You can have these soft drinks, which are originally hard, but just don’t become addicted to those kinds of drinks.

Milk, water and juices are the best substitutes for soft drinks. Milk also helps in promoting stronger jaw bones, and also strengthens teeth.

5. Avoid chewing tobacco and smoking

This is one of the major causes for tooth and complete oral tissue damage. The tobacco powder and its smoke causes stains on teeth and they weaken the teeth. Chewing of tobacco can lead to discoloration of teeth and sometimes this tobacco is also responsible for the dangerous oral cancer. So, avoiding tobacco related products is the best.

effects of smoking
Quit smoking for the sake of your teeth. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

6. Chewable gums

These are of 2 kinds, One which are specifically made to chew after meals and these help in cleaning of the teeth. And the other gums are the sweet ones which increase sugar content and attract microorganisms to the teeth and cause decay of the teeth. It would be better to decrease these kinds of sweet gums.

7. Avoid alcohol

Several problems can occur when alcohol is consumed. It majorly affects the oral cavity by causing irritation of the gum, tongue and oral tissues; poor healing after dental surgery; Increase in tooth decay; increased risk towards periodontal (gum) disease. Heavy drinkers have the risk of developing cancer in their mouth.

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8. Healthy diet consumption

Having proper and healthy food not only helps in maintaining fitness and getting a perfect body, but also helps in maintaining your oral structures very well. It helps in having your mouth well-lubricated and taking extra care of your teeth and gums. You should always have water after intake of food, so temporary cleaning of teeth can be done.

benefits of quitting coffee
Here’s how to whiten your teeth, girl. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

9. Avoid sticky food

Toffees, candies and chocolate, stick to your teeth and allow bacteria to grow on your teeth which cause decay of your teeth.

10. Visit a Dentist at least twice a year

Go for an oral check up at least every 6 months, to check everything’s fine with your teeth and oral structures. A normal checkup doesn’t cost much, and is very helpful in the long run.

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