A smile can completely transform a face. Have you ever noticed how the eyes light up with a beaming grin? Nothing is more warm and welcoming than a genuine smile – a happy face could be a secret weapon.
The business world is challenging and competitive, and having a great smile can boost your success. Here, we look at the hidden powers of a smile and how you can achieve yours.
Dental Flossing and Interdental Brushing
It is common knowledge that flossing and interdental brushing are beneficial. Still, many of us underestimate just how much these things can help our smile and overall oral health. If you floss correctly, you can prevent tooth decay and gum disease, helping you maintain those pearly whites when you flash a smile.
You can floss correctly with a number of tools, but dental floss is the most important one. There are different kinds of floss, but most of them come on thin spools of waxed string that you can fit between your teeth. A floss harp is another choice, and it is a plastic case with one strand of floss, making makes it easier to clean your teeth. Your dentist may recommend an interdental brush if your tooth gap is wide. These little brushes come in several sizes, and you insert the small wire brush to clean between teeth. These are a fantastic way of cleaning bridges and implants.
Water flossers remove plaque and tartar without the harshness of dental floss by spraying water between the teeth and around veneers and other dental restorations.
Teeth Straightening Treatments
Misaligned teeth can cause people to feel self-conscious about their smiles, but you can straighten your teeth as an adult to help boost your confidence. A confident smile will help you in your business and personal life. Smiles are infectious, after all! If you are looking for a treatment to straighten your teeth, you have several options.
Invisalign is the most popular teeth straightening treatment due to its affordability, discreetness and results. Invisalign aligners straighten teeth using nearly invisible plastic shells fitted to your teeth. They are an effective and discreet way to straighten teeth and fix crowding, overbites, and underbites. You must wear the aligners for 20-22 hours daily and only consume water while wearing them. Remove them for all other food or drink consumption, teeth brushing, and flossing.
Most people now prefer Invisalign over braces for tooth misalignment. Here are some advantages of Invisalign over braces:
- People self-conscious about braces should consider Invisalign aligners, which are clear and practically unnoticeable. Aligners are discreet and hard to spot unless you’re close.
- Invisalign aligners have a looser wire structure and are easier to remove and replace.
- You can remove Invisalign aligners to eat, drink, brush, and for special occasions. This helps maintain comfort and oral hygiene during the operation.
- With Invisalign, you must visit your dentist weekly for new aligners and progress monitoring. Because fixed braces require frequent and time-consuming modifications, Invisalign therapy is faster.
Not everyone is a good Invisalign candidate. Orthodontists can recommend the best dental care for good oral health.
Braces and Implants For Children
While children may not worry too much about smiling (especially teenagers!), it can help their confidence and make a great impression when they start in the world of interviews and Saturday jobs. For many years, braces have been a successful way to adjust the alignment of teeth. Braces are more frequently used on youngsters to make sure their teeth are positioned properly and correctly, even though many adults also wear them.
So, when should your child start wearing braces? Each child’s situation will differ, but the dentist wants to start the braces process early to avoid alignment issues. Your youngster is eligible for NHS braces until the age of 18, and your dentist will begin assessing their teeth at around age 12 or 13 for fixed braces.
Another option for teenagers is All on 4. An all-on-4 dental procedure replaces all teeth in an upper or lower jaw with a fixed denture supported by four dental implants. The main benefits from All-on-4 are the fast results, with the procedure often being finished in a day, the stability and strength of the implants, the affordability and, of course, the confidence boost that a nicer smile brings.
A dentist evaluates the patient’s oral health to see if All-on-4 is right. Four dental implants are carefully placed in the jawbone. A temporary denture over the implants may allow the patient to leave the clinic with a complete set of teeth. The implants integrate with the jawbone over months. After healing, implants are implanted with a permanent denture.
Diet and Oral Hygiene
Your diet matters when it comes to teeth. Your diet directly impacts your overall health, and this includes the health of your gums and teeth. Sugary and acidic substances, whether food or drink, are a primary source of bacteria in the mouth, leading to eroded enamel and cavities. Aside from this, insufficient intake of important minerals and vitamins can negatively affect oral health and lead to disease and illness. An all-round healthy diet will help keep your teeth strong, clean and healthy, meaning you can smile confidently.
To ensure your diet is health and dental-friendly, you should include a mixture of the following:
- Fruit and vegetables as they are full of vitamins and nutrients that support oral health/
- Protein such as fish, chicken, pulses, eggs, lentils and oats is great for gums.
- Dairy products such as milk and cheese calcium are fantastic for strengthening teeth.
Some things should be removed or limited in your diet to protect oral health. These include
- Carbohydrate-rich foods and drinks as these can cause tooth cavities
- Foods that stick to teeth, such as sweets, toffees and gum, can encourage plaque accumulation.
- Acidic foods and beverages can cause dental enamel erosion
- Alcohol can cause tooth decay and gum disease
- Any smoking product, such as tobacco and vapes, can cause tooth issues and gum disease.