Keeping your teeth sparkling white

IT'S THE WEEKEND: Shopping with Keiligh Baker - Keeping your teeth sparkling white

2:38pm Sunday 4th May 2014 in News

THE importance of oral hygiene cannot be overlooked.

From making the right first impression, talking to your boss or chatting someone up in the pub, mossy teeth and halitosis-breath are not going to make life easy for you.

Not just that, but there are sound medical reasons to keep your pearly-whites in good condition – not looking after your teeth, tongue and gums can result in dental cavities, gingivitis, gum disease and tooth decay.

Of course, we can’t all afford expensive dental treatments that leave with you with a sparkling pair of gnashers a la Hollywood’s A-listers – but not brushing your teeth on the reg could prove detrimental to your personal and professional life.

There are cheap and effective fixes out there to ensure no matter how wonky your smile, you can still charm the pants off the majority of the public.

Here are my top tips and products to give you a smile worthy of bestowing:

Brush regularly. Twice, if not thrice a day. Sounds ridiculously simple, but its clear some people do not do this most basic of daily tasks.

The best food choices for a healthy mouth include cheeses, chicken, nuts, and milk. These foods protect tooth enamel by providing calcium and phosphorus.

Other food choices include firm/crunchy fruits like apples and pears and vegetables. These foods have a high water content, which dilutes the effects of the sugars they contain, and stimulate the flow of saliva (which helps protect against decay by washing away food particles and buffering acid). Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and lemons, should be eaten as part of a larger meal to minimize the acid from them.

The best beverage choices include water, milk, and unsweetened tea. Limit your consumption of sugar-containing drinks, including soft drinks, lemonade, and coffee or tea with added sugar.