Tricks to a whiter smile

Lipstick base: Have you ever noticed that sometimes your smile looks better in a picture than at other times? For women, replicating this can be easy. Next time you go lipstick shopping, pick a colour that has a blue base rather than an orange base. Because of where the colour blue is on the colour wheel it helps to neutralise orange or yellow tones when these colours are put next to each other! So the blue-based red and pink lipsticks are the ones to choose to make your teeth look whiter.

Bring on the flash: Next time you are about to take a picture for your latest social media post, turn on the flash. One of the reasons it is so hard for a cosmetic dentist to get a good “before” picture that accurately depicts how yellow the smile they are about to redo is because of the flash. As soon as you turn on the flash it reflects off the tooth enamel creating a whiter looking smile. Use this to your advantage next time you take a vacation photo  to make your smile look brighter!

Drink coffee, cola through a straw: If you are going to drink teeth staining drinks, then use a straw. This deposits the stains behind your teeth instead of your smile. The front of their smiles look great and the backs of their teeth have stains galore. But who’s looking, other than your dentist or hygienist? It’s best to avoid staining drinks like coffee, tea, and wine or acidic drinks like soda and sports drinks, but if you don’t, try a straw.

Rinse and repeat: Another great way to help your smile is to rinse with water after eating anything sugary, staining or acidic. Anything bad at all. So, if for example, you just ate a bunch of candy and can’t brush, rinse with water. Chewing gum is another great way to wash out food debris, stains and neutralise acids.
It takes the body an hour to neutralise the ph and remove the cavity or stain causing culprits from your mouth.

Use an electric toothbrush: Don’t forget to brush and floss! This is the most important rule of all. Brush twice a day for two whole minutes and floss at least once a day. Add an electric toothbrush to the mix if you can. Electric toothbrushes usually do a great job removing more plaque and stains from your teeth than a regular toothbrush. Depending on what your dentist recommends, there are many different brands on the market and you should pick one based on your individual goals.

Source: www.cosmeticdentistry.about.com