Smiling plays a large role in our lives. It's one of the first things people notice and it's also a way to help improve our mood. Smiling often helps reduce stress, but for those who weren't born with perfect teeth–and who really was, smiling can be more anxiety ridden than anything. That said, there are several things that can be done to help teeth look more attractive and Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with several experts who reveal their tricks for having a beautiful smile.
Why Having Healthy Teeth is Important
Dr. David Chen, DDS with Jackson Avenue Dental in Long Island City says, "The ones that live to eat and not eat to live already know its importance all too well but most people don't realize a secondary but equally important function of teeth. Having healthy teeth as compared to having no teeth in your mouth is disastrous because teeth give a similar effect as botox. Have you seen someone who has taken their upper and lower dentures out? Their faces collapse down and in. Once they put their dentures back in, their face fills back up. That is because your front teeth actually hold your lips out, without them they will collapse inward. The back teeth give you a 'bite' and it prevents your face from collapsing downwards. Having dentures takes 10 years off your appearance! So, did I just give you an extra reason to keep your teeth healthy?"
Dr. Shahrooz Yazdani, CEO and Director of Yazdani Family Dentistry shares, "When it comes to keeping your smile looking its best, there's one thing that's more important than anything else: healthy teeth. Even if you have the whitest, straightest teeth in the world, if they're not healthy, then you won't be happy with the way they look. That's because healthy teeth are the foundation for a beautiful smile. When you don't keep your teeth healthy, you are much more likely to get cavities and tooth decay. This can also lead to problems like gum disease and bad breath. Not only that, but it can lead to tooth loss.. Having an uneven smile or bad breath really takes away from that perfect smile you're looking for, and keeping your teeth healthy is the only way to avoid those issues."
Get White Teeth
Teeth whitening is one of the easiest ways to improve the look of your teeth with little effort. Dr. Chen reveals ways to get a brighter smile. "The best cure is prevention. Please try your hardest to avoid teeth staining foods like coffee, tea, and red wine. Well to be honest, if it can stain your white rug, it can stain your teeth but those three are the most notorious. It also helps if you drink these liquids through a straw because it helps the staining fluids from contacting your teeth. If you can't live without coffee then you can always try whitening. The home remedy options would be whitening toothpaste and over the counter whitening strips at your local pharmacy. The professional options would be to take home whitening kits with custom made trays and also in office bleaching sessions."
Practice Good Hygiene
Dr. Chen explains, "Brush for at least two minutes twice a day and floss before you go to bed. Mouthwash is an effective adjunct but prioritize the brushing and flossing over it if you're short on time. Please use a fluoridated toothpaste because it is easy and it is effective. Fluoride ions can remineralize your teeth by transforming what your teeth are naturally made out of, hydroxyapatite, into fluorapatite. This new structure has increased stability, increased hardness, and decreased solubility to acid attacks. If you do not like fluoride, the option would be a hydroxyapatite toothpaste. Yes, it is the same stuff that your teeth are naturally made out of. It has remineralizing abilities as well. First discovered by NASA but they sold the patent to a Japanese company around the 1970s and the Japanese have been using it since. This new toothpaste made its way to Europe in the early 2000s and then finally made its roundtrip back to the US only within the last few years. Remineralize = reverse cavities."
Floss Daily and Use an Electric Toothbrush
"Swap out the manual toothbrush for an electric one," says Elizabeth Graves, a registered dental hygienist with Take Home Smile. "This will increase plaque and bacteria removal, reduce day-to-day staining, and help keep the smile strong. Daily flossing is also key to improving oral health and maintaining an attractive smile."
Dr. Chen states, "Get an electric toothbrush. That is the most revolutionary thing to happen to dentistry within the last few decades! You can't outbrush an electric just like how gasoline powered cars can't win against Tesla."
Get Straighter Teeth
Dr. Chen states, "Unfortunately there is no natural way to straighten teeth because if there were, orthodontists would be out of business! But, yes the only way to do it would be either with metal braces or with a clear aligner like Invisalign. The DIY aligners I would say do at your own risk since these aligner companies use data for their teeth moving algorithms. The more data they have, the more effective they'll be at moving them. The oldest one would be Invisalign, which was founded in 1997. So these new companies that just came out… so how much data do they have?"
Graves states, "The only way to straighten the teeth safely is through professional orthodontic treatment with braces and retainer systems. Avoid mail-order braces at all costs. Permanent damage can occur from moving the teeth incorrectly. This includes permanent bone loss that supports the teeth and jaw, destruction of gums, increased risk of fracturing teeth from an incorrect bite, and worsening TMJ jaw disorders."
Proportional Teeth
Dr. Gary Cash, an award-winning dentist based in Austin, Texas, specializing in transformative aesthetics and restorative dentistry shares, "If you weren't fortunate enough to be born with proportional teeth, a good dentist trained in dental aesthetics and tooth position can create proportional teeth. Many dental offices can create a smile simulation on your face to see if before you do the treatment, this is really helpful for people to choose sizes and colors they feel comfortable with."
Teeth Bonding or Veneers
"The only way to correct the shape and size of your teeth would be via human intervention," Dr. Chen emphasizes. "Your dentist would have to intentionally change them either by teeth bonding or porcelain veneers. The shape of teeth won't naturally change on its own."
See a Dentist Regularly
Dr. Cash states, "See a dentist regularly, many systemic diseases are made worse with an unhealthy mouth. Your dentist can sometimes spot signs of disease such as oral cancers. I tell all of my patients, coming to the dentist is not just about aesthetics!"
Poor Lifestyle Choices that Contribute to Unhealthy Teeth
Dr. Chen says, "We could give you a million ways that people can harm their own teeth but I just have one principle that can be followed, which can answer all one million questions. The recipe for cavities is a low pH over time. Your mouth naturally sits at a pH of about 6.7 but cavities don't start forming until it drops below 5.5; Any type of food that will drop the pH to below that point is a potential cavity suspect. Yes, it doesn't always have to have sugar in it, it could just be acidic or sour as well! Basically once it drops below the 5.5 level, your teeth start to demineralize but when it goes above, it will start to REmineralize. Your mouth is not a static state but rather a dynamic state. Oh, chemistry 101 is coming back to me!"
Graves adds, "The most common poor lifestyle choice people make that influences their teeth are diet choices. Sugary, acidic foods and beverages increase bacteria activity that can damage enamel, cause gum disease, and discolor the teeth. Sugar consumption is also steadily on the increase. Sugar is in bread, crackers, chips, candy, beverages, desserts, and gummy vitamins."
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