The first Friday of October is designated as World Smile Day, a day for performing acts of kindness to help make others happy. Whether you participate in giving good cheer, or you’re the lucky recipient of someone else’s kindness, you’re bound to grin a lot on World Smile Day. Make sure you’re ready to show off your smile with these tips.

Break Bad Habits

Your oral hygiene is affected by more than just brushing and flossing—your daily habits also have an impact. For instance, smoking stains your teeth, makes you more vulnerable to gum disease, and may cause oral cancer. If you break only one bad habit for World Smile Day, have it be to quit smoking.

Other habits you should rethink include chewing ice cubes, biting your nails, or using your teeth as tools. When you take better care of your teeth, you can smile with greater confidence.

Avoid Eating Carbs Between Meals

Crackers and potato chips make tasty snacks, but these carbs break down into simple sugars in your mouth. This is especially harmful when you nibble slowly on starchy snacks because the sugar lingers in your mouth, sticking to your teeth and gums and feeding the bacteria in your mouth.

Set a rule only to eat starches during a meal when you can wash them down quickly with water. Instead, snack on fruits and veggies between meals for a nutritious pick-me-up.

Wait to Brush After Eating or Drinking Something Acidic

Your gut reaction might be to brush your teeth the moment you finish your last bite of grapefruit or sip of soda, but acidic foods and drinks soften your enamel. If you brush your teeth too soon, you could do more harm than good.

Instead, wait for the pH in your mouth to balance out, and your enamel to harden again. In the meantime, you can drink water or chew sugarless gum to get your acid-neutralizing saliva flowing. After 30 minutes, you’re free to brush to your heart’s content!

Add More Vitamins to Your Diet

The most important vitamins for a healthy smile are vitamins A and C. Vitamin A promotes strong teeth while vitamin C protects your gums and other soft tissues from cellular damage and bacterial infection. You can even lower your risk for gum disease by eating more vitamin C. These nutrients are found in many fruits and vegetables.

Drink Green Tea

The antioxidants in green tea are your gums’ best friends. They also help prevent plaque from forming on your teeth, which keeps cavities at bay. Green tea even promotes fresh breath by killing bacteria on your tongue.

Trade out your regular cup of coffee for green to reap these rewards. Just remember, like coffee, green tea stains teeth, so rinse your mouth out with water afterward to limit this effect.

Whiten a Shade or Two

The preventative lifestyle changes listed above are great for helping you feel more confident when you show off your smile, but sometimes prevention isn’t enough. Over the years, your teeth may absorb colors from foods and drinks, making them not so pearly white. Teeth whitening can restore their sparkling luster!

In-office whitening brightens your smile by up to eight shades in a single visit. Professional-grade take-home treatments are also available, allowing you to noticeably whiten your teeth at home in just two weeks.

Fix Chips or Gaps in Your Smile

The color of your teeth isn’t the only thing you should be worried about. Chips and gaps can also make an otherwise healthy smile appear less attractive. Fortunately, dental bonding is all you need to repair these types of cosmetic flaws.

Bonding is when a liquid composite resin is built onto your tooth and formed into the proper shape to fix chips, fill gaps, and even lengthen or change the contour of a particular tooth. Bonding may be just what you need to show off your smile with confidence!

Consider a Quick Smile Makeover

If your smile needs a more in-depth makeover than whitening or bonding can provide, consider how porcelain veneers can enhance your teeth. Sometimes called instant orthodontics, porcelain veneers can fix crooked, chipped, stained, or misshapen teeth. Advanced dental technology makes it possible to create veneers with convincingly natural results, even under close scrutiny. In just two weeks, you could have a brand new smile and renewed sense of self-confidence!

Our Boulder dentist, Dr. Ania, can cater to all your dental needs. From routine cleanings that remove surface stains to restorative bonding or porcelain veneers, our comprehensive services are designed to help you show off your smile! To learn more, or to schedule your next appointment, please call Dr. Ania at 303-443-0998.