7 Ways to Improve Your Smile

Your smile is the first thing most people notice about you. It’s your calling card on job interviews, first dates, and parent/teacher conferences. Smiling makes us look younger and makes people around us feel good. A great smile can get you through awkward moments and help you defuse an angry situation.

A great smile is something of a superpower. If you don’t like what you see in the mirror or you’re smiling less because you don’t want people to see your teeth, it’s time to make a change. Here are seven ways to improve your smile.

Exercise Your Face

You know about running or walking and going to the gym for better health, but did you know you can create a better smile with facial exercises? Strengthening the muscles that control your smile can make you look younger and brighten your smile. Look into a mirror to make sure you perform each step correctly. You’ll hold each move for 10 seconds.

1. Stretch the corners of your mouth to the side while keeping your lips together.
2. Stretch even further while parting your lips just enough so that the edge of your teeth show.
3. Continue stretching but now open your lips to show half your teeth.
4. Finally, stretch the corners of your mouth as far as you can into a wide smile.
5. Repeat these steps in reverse order.

You can use your fingers to help stretch your lips and do the exercise with different types of smiles.

Consider Teeth Whitening

Between the foods you eat, what you drink, and everything your mouth encounters, it’s normal for teeth to yellow as you age. If the color of your teeth keeps you from smiling as often as you’d like, teeth whitening may be a good option. Talk to your family dentist to find out what they recommend. You may be fine with an over-the-counter option or you need an in-office treatment.

Buy a Good Toothbrush

Brushing your teeth regularly is important to good dental hygiene and having a bright smile. Using the right toothbrush can make all the difference. Ideally, you should use a high-quality electric toothbrush to remove more plaque and have a healthier mouth. If that’s not an option, look for a soft bristled manual brush. The medium and hard options are most common, but they can damage your gums over time.

Stop Smoking

If you’re a smoker, you’ve already heard plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t smoke – increased risk of cancer, lung disease, and other medical problems being the most important. Add improving your smile to list of reasons to quit. Smoking stains your teeth and damages your gums. It’s also very hard to reverse gum disease when you smoke.

Use a Straw

In a perfect world, you should limit your consumption of coffee, tea, red wine, and other dark colored beverages because they can stain your teeth. Since most people find that difficult, another option is to use a straw as often as you can. This prevents darker liquids from sitting on your teeth and staining them.

Drink More Water

You can and should reduce your intake of sodas and darker beverages. One easy and healthy replacement is water, preferably tap water because of the fluoride it contains. Not only is water great for your skin and your overall health, it’s good for your teeth, too. Water helps keep your teeth clean and helps prevent tooth decay.

Get Regular Check-Ups

Making sure your teeth are clean and healthy goes a long way in improving your smile. At home, you should brush and floss daily to take care of your teeth. Keeping your appointments for your regular check-ups will keep your teeth cleaner and improve your smile. Your dentist will also be able to spot problems early and help treat or prevent gum disease or other health issues that will affect your smile.

Invest in Dental Implants

You may have done everything right, but you’re missing a tooth or you were unable to reverse gum disease. Your teeth may be cracked or you’ve had a few pulled. Dental implants give you back a great smile, possibly the best smile of your life. Implants can last 20 years or longer as long as you take care of them with brushing, flossing, and regular check-ups. Once they’re in, you’ll never have to worry about your smile again.

Conclusion

For the most part, we have direct control over how great our smile is. Taking care of your teeth, practicing your smile, and using the tools available to improve your smile are all a part of it. When you’ve used every option you have, and you’re still not satisfied, it may be time to look at other options like dental implants. Here at Dental Brothers in Mesa and Phoenix, we want you to love your smile again.