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Dental hygiene tips for healthy teeth & gums

Expert Tips For The Perfect Summer Smile

With changing seasons, our smiles also change. Dentists advise that if you plan to spend a good part of your summer on vacation, it is vital to maintain oral hygiene even when you are on the go.

So, if you want to keep your smile bright during the hot weather, tweak your routine a bit by following the tips in this article and get huge payoffs. Get a head-turning smile by changing a few things in your daily regime.

Tips For a Warm And Bright Smile In The Warm Weather

If you want your summer smile to appear gorgeous, keep your teeth clean and make some lifestyle changes and habits during the summer.

  • Drink more water – Water is not just crucial for our overall health but also for our dentition. The excessive heat in summer makes us sweat a lot and lose water from our bodies. It is essential to keep yourself adequately hydrated during the hot weather because a dry mouth can cause many dental complications such as tooth decay, gum disease, and increased plaque. 

By drinking water at regular intervals, you can ensure the bacteria in your mouth is flushed out. Many of you might want to drink more sodas, juices, and other cold beverages during the warm season but remember; water is the most significant drink to have in the heat. Other drinks might stain your teeth or cause other gum diseases. 

  • Protect your lips – We all apply sunscreen regularly during summer, but many of us forget that our lips also get tanned. Lips are the gateway to our smile. If we have chapped or dark lips, it can dull our appearance and smile even if we maintain our pearly whites in impeccable condition. 

Summer is the time lips get impacted the most, and wearing a lip balm with SPF (Sun Protection Factor) would immensely help in protecting them. The damage from UV rays can even cause lip cancer. Choose a lip balm with an SPF of 15, which prevents recurring cold sores that you might get due to the soft tissues in your lips being exposed to the scorching sun.

  • Eat healthy – A beautiful set of teeth is heavily dependent on your diet. To keep your pearly whites shiny, you must avoid extra sugary foods and beverages as the starch in them can adversely affect your dental condition. As a rule of thumb, curb your sugar intake to only ten percent of your total diet (to be on the safer side, keep it at five percent if you can).
  • Go for professional cleaning of your pearly whites – Professional teeth cleaning offers tremendous benefits in the forms of a self-esteem boost, oral health improvement, and overall health. This procedure can enhance your teeth’s appearance exponentially. Any stains or spots on your teeth are taken care of by an expert. 

During a professional cleaning, your dentist would also take an X-ray of your teeth to find any underlying problems which are not visible to the naked eye. X-rays can reveal issues lingering inside and between your teeth, and your doctor can take corrective actions if s/he finds any problems. You must consider professional cleaning imperative to your dental health.

  • Go for teeth whitening at the dental office – Despite following all the recommendations of your dentist regarding oral regime, you might still get stains on your dentition. If you consume a lot of pigmented foods or drinks such as red wine, coffee, tea, soda, candy, and berries, you might develop these spots, which look ungainly when you smile. 

There are OTC (over-the-counter) products for teeth whitening, but they do not do the job as desired. Opting for a teeth whitening session with a professional is a good idea if you want to sport a bright smile all through the summer.

  • Maintain dental hygiene – This is perhaps the most obvious tip, but sometimes we overlook it. Brushing twice a day and flossing once is what most dentists recommend. You could add mouthwash if need be, but consult your dentist for the best kind of mouthwash to use as they come in various forms, such as antibacterial. 

The acid from foods can severely damage your teeth, so keep a watch on that by following a seven-minute window rule. The rule says to always rinse your mouth for seven seconds after consuming any type of food or drink high in acids.

Summing Up

You must maintain an excellent oral regime irrespective of the season, but during summers, you would need more water to keep the optimal level of saliva in your mouth. Follow the tips in this article to get that dazzling smile this summer.