health tips to keep your smile dazzlinglighter teeth. but whitening products aren’t perfect. many...

(NU) - When it comes to mak-ing a great first impression, noth-ing’s more important than afriendly smile. But not everyonefeels confident enough to trulydazzle -- after all, few smiles ap-pear Hollywood-bright.

Coffee, tea, nicotine, soda,some fruit juices, silver-coloredfillings and age can all give teetha yellowish cast. No wonder drugstore shelves are lined withwhitening products that promiselighter teeth.

But whitening products aren’tperfect. Many users experiencetooth and gum sensitivity andgum irritation, and prolonged usecan damage tooth enamel.

At-home remedies don’t pro-vide a better alternative. Brush-ing with baking soda can scratchresins and porcelain veneers,making stains more likely to ad-here to those surfaces. Stain-re-moving toothpastes, whichshould not be confused with“whitening” products, are abra-sive, and should only be used un-der a dentist’s supervision.

So what can you do to pre-serve a younger-looking, whitersmile? Here are some tips to keepyou smiling pretty:• Watch what you drink. If abeverage can stain cups, clothingand carpets, chances are that itcan also stain your teeth. Even ifyou cannot give up coffee or colaindefinitely, you can take steps tolessen their toll on your teeth. Forexample, drink coffee or soda inone or two sittings instead of sip-ping on them slowly throughoutthe day. Follow sugary or acidicbeverages with water, which willwash away their residue.• Snack healthy. Foods likecelery, carrots, pears and apples

trigger saliva-production. Themore saliva in your mouth, theless likely you are to developstains or tooth decay.• Use probiotics. Oral care pro-biotics, such as those found in Or-agenic’s EvoraPlus probioticmints (www.MyEvoraPlus.com),can help whiten teeth withoutcausing sensitivity or irritation.The mints contain Probiora3, apatented blend of beneficial bac-teria that, when allowed to colo-nize the mouth, prevent bad bac-teria from establishing in themouth and threatening tooth andgum health. The mints willwhiten your teeth even if youcontinue to drink staining bever-ages -- the bacteria constantly re-lease low levels of hydrogen per-oxide, a natural whitener, so yourteeth are constantly being light-ened throughout the day.• Avoid using tobacco prod-ucts. Nicotine stains teeth andleads to bad breath and gum dis-ease, not to mention several typesof oral cancer. Do yourself a fa-vor and quit.

Tips to Keep YourSmile Dazzling

HEALTH

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An apple a day could keep thedentist away.

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