Make Your Smile A Naturally Whiter and Brighter One

We often resort to expensive treatments or in-store whitening strips  to treat discoloured teeth, but the journey to a whiter smile lies in mindful diet and lifestyle choices. The foods and drinks listed below were found to be some of the best for causing stained, yellow teeth. 

• Tea/Coffee - some dentists even consider that tea, even white or herbal varieties can be worse than coffee in terms of staining teeth.
• Deep Coloured Sauces - like tomato and curry contribute largely to discolouration. Lighter sauces such as those which are cream based, are better on teeth.
• Sports Drinks - because of its low pH (high acidity) sports drinks erode enamel easily, which enables stains to develop more readily.
• Wine - both red and white wine can discolour teeth due to its highly acidic properties.
• Berries - just like wine's and sports drinks, berries and berry juices are highly acidic especially the deeply coloured ones. As well as berries, lighter coloured fruit may also contribute to staining.
• Candy's and high sugar products - the artificial colours and high sugar content make them effectivestainers, besides being cavity creaters. 
• Soda, soda and soda! - it's been emphasized countless times by dentists across the globe how bad carbonated beverages, especially soda can be on your oral and overall health. The sugary, artificially dyed and highly acidic beverage is your smiles biggest enemy.

Okay, so now we know what's discolouring your teeth how can you prevent it?

1. Reduce the amount of trouble foods (listed above) in your everyday diet. You don't need to cut them out entirely but consume them in moderation.
2. With beverages that cause stains - use a straw. It prevents the liquid from making direct contact with your teeth, especially your front teeth thus decreasing the chance of staining. If a straw isn't readily available, don't let the drink linger in your mouth rather - swallow it quickly.
3. Rinse always after eating, to get rid of any residue from the meal or drink. Brushing immediately after eating or drinking anything highly acidic is not always appropriate as it can also contribute to weakening your tooth enamel.
4. An alternative to rinsing is chewing sugarless gum right after eating.

Practicing these techniques will definitely help you to gaining a brighter, whiter smile!

However, if you already possess harshly discoloured teeth, you can ask your current dental provider for further techniques and treatment options to help you enhance your smile.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/healthy-teeth-14/slideshow-foods-stain-teeth

Sour and Sweet - Terrible for Teeth

The most beloved tastes to a child's' palate is the combination of sour and sweet, found prevalent in almost every candy our children consume. What's surprising to most is that sugar isn't the only compound causing tooth decay for children, but also acidic foods like certain sour candies, soda and fruit juices. These contain citric acid, a very low pH substance and considered one of the worst acid's for teeth.  Children's teeth don't mature until ten years after they first develop, this leaves their teeth fragile and soft during their childhood, making them more susceptible to enamel erosion and smaller tooth size. 

So how do we help our kids, and let's not forget ourselves, in preventing tooth decay from terribly sour and sweet foods?

First, brushing your teeth and flossing thoroughly is crucial. It has even been observed that occasionally brushing with small amounts of baking soda can neutralize acids in the mouth, preventing erosion effects and minimizing acid-loving bacteria. 

Second, chewing certain types of gum when a toothbrush and toothpaste aren't available can help to diminish softening effects. For example gum containing Recaldent can decrease chances of tooth decay and help teeth harden up, by re-mineralizing. 

Third, eating these treats along with other food and meals can help decrease their affect as well. In our opinion, the best way to prevent the effects of sour and sweet treats is to have them in moderation.

After all, there's a sweet tooth in us all and with the proper oral hygiene practices, a little sugar now and again doesn't hurt!