Your Smile Style

Your smile style says a great deal about you.   When encountering friends or strangers, a smile can expose a friendly, positive attitude and it can be a reflection of good health practices.  

From an early age, my parents expounded the importance of proper dental care.   Although I never wore braces, I still made numerous trips to the dentist to have teeth pulled as a child.  Fortunately, my dentist’s philosophy worked and my teeth grew in straight.  In fact, those frequent nightly visits from the tooth fairy awarded me a wind-up, chattering teeth toy for having the “best smile” in high school!   Funny but true, that award made me keenly aware of how a smile affects personal style.

Unfortunately, as we age, our smiles can reflect decades of wear and tear and hormonal changes.   Red wine, coffee and black tea are no-brainer teeth stainers. However, many light-colored beverages, including white wine, are acidic, which means they soften tooth enamel and set the stage for staining. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to counteract that with a variety of healthy practices and home whitening tools.  Most age-related changes can be prevented and easily treated by incorporating the basics.  Get dental checkups twice yearly, brush at least twice a day, floss, and use mouthwash.  The bottom line:  ask your dentist what practices would work best for you.

The adage rings true that if you ignore your teeth, they will go away.  Proper dental care reflects good health.   A healthy smile is something you can give away for free, it makes you look younger than your years, and it even turns back the clock!

How do you maintain your smile style?  Please share your healthy tips in the comments section.