A perfect smile, to paraphrase the popular children’s song, is both a funny and wonderful thing.
The physical act, which involves a large number of facial muscles, is in itself extraordinary. However, it’s the many benefits smiling brings that make it truly remarkable.
Did you know that flashing your pearly whites releases chemicals in the brain that counter stress and make you feel good? There’s even evidence to suggest it helps the body’s immune responses and healing processes!
It doesn’t stop there. Indeed, from winning friends and closing business deals to influencing elections, the benefits of a wide, bright smile can be seen and felt almost everywhere.
So how do you ensure you’ve got that winning smile? Well, it starts, unsurprisingly, with taking care of your oral health.
Visit the dentist
Many of us live in fear of the dentist. Yet when it comes to your smile, nothing’s more important than making sure your teeth are in great shape.
Your friendly dentist doesn’t just maintain your cheery smile, he or she solves problems with your chompers, too!
So while it’s recommended you make a dental appointment once in six months, you should seek treatment as soon as any issue crops up. And that’s because teeth have limited ability to repair themselves.
Brush your teeth twice a day
Brushing your teeth is serious business!
Adults shouldn’t need to be reminded to brush twice a day, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t!
The build-up of bacteria, plaque, and tartar lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and a less than pleasant smile.
As a general rule, you should use a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush both your teeth and the gum line for at least two minutes. And don’t forget to floss!
Use the right toothpaste
As important as brushing correctly is ensuring you’re using the right toothpaste.
Toothpaste helps with the cleaning process, much like detergents, and ensure brighter smiles. Even so, it’s important to remember that pastes aren’t all created equal. Some contain chemicals that are harmful to health.
For example, most toothpaste contains the apparent cavity-fighting chemical fluoride. Yet, overexposure to fluoride can lead to osteoporosis, organ damage, certain defects, as well as fluorosis, a condition that results in white lines and streaks on teeth.
The best option, thus, is to opt for a toothpaste like ProSpark, which uses rock salt. This natural substance helps teeth remineralise and neutralise acids that cause tooth decay.
ProSpark is also fortified with neem — which has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine as an anti-infective agent — and an amino acid blend that enhances the production of the Master Antioxidant, Glutathione.
Triple win!
Cut out the bad habits
Smoking wreaks havoc on your heart and lungs and is just as bad for oral health. Essentially, the tar and tobacco in cigarettes can cause gums to recede as well as stain teeth.
Similarly, you might want to cut down on coffee, tea, red wine and sodas, all of which can stain chompers, as well as damage tooth enamel.
Instead, load up on water. H20 is nature’s super serum. Not only does it hydrate you, but it also cleans your mouth from leftover food particles, washes away acid, and protects against tooth decay.
Take care of your overall health
While being vigilant about oral health will ensure a great smile, you should also address other health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and osteoporosis.
Everything in the body is interconnected, and a breakdown in one part adversely affects others.
For example, studies have found that folks with hypertension are at greater risk of developing gum disease. Meanwhile, osteoporosis, which causes bones to become fragile, can affect teeth as well.
All in all, the key to that perfect smile, thus, is to put yourself first and to ensure you’re looking you!
