Oral Health Tips For Valentine’s Day
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we remind our patients to be extra careful when choosing their treats and to take extra care of their dental health! After all on Valentine’s Day, nothing is as sexy and confidence building as a great big, white smile accompanied by good breath and health.
In order to maximize your dental health and attractiveness on Valentine’s Day, DentArana offers the following suggestions.
Fight Bad Breath
Nothing can kill a romantic mood more than leaning in for a clinch and catching a whiff of bad breath. Bad breath can be caused by many different things:
- Foods and spices such as onions and garlic
- Alcoholic beverages
- Smoking
- Untreated dental problems such as tooth decay, abscess, or gum disease
- Dry mouth
- Respiratory infections
Reducing Bad Breath
Keep a healthy, clean mouth – Be sure to properly clean your teeth, gums, and tongue (by scraping) as bacteria can build up here.
Eat healthy – eat crunchy and fibre-rich fruits and vegetables such as apples, celery, and carrots to clean your teeth and tongue of food particles and plaque build-up.
Dental treatments may be necessary if your bad breath is caused by tooth decay, gum disease, or dry mouth. In some cases there may be an underlying medical condition, and your DentArana dentist will refer you to your physician.
Brightening Your Teeth
A sexy smile is a white one. And while “quick” at-home treatments are not extremely effective, there are a few things you can do. Some recommend using a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. Others use OTC products such as whitening strips or gels. However, to truly get white teeth, you’ll need to visit DentArana. With teeth whitening options at DentArana, we can give you the smile you only dream of.
Lipstick – A Quick Fix For Contrast
While there is no ‘miracle’ way to make your teeth brighter in an instant, makeup wearers can use lipstick to their advantage. The darker the lipstick, the brighter teeth seem in comparison.
Hydrate for attractive lips. Believe it or not, drinking enough water can make your lips more supple and attractive!
Kiss your loved ones! Once you have those hydrated lips, use them for a kiss. Kissing increases saliva production, cleaning and protecting your teeth.
The Link Between Dental And Heart Health
On Valentine’s Day, a day symbolized by the heart, it’s a good time to remember that heart disease and oral health seem to be linked. There are two different connections here:
- People with moderate or advanced gum (periodontal) disease are more likely to have heart disease.
- Oral health can provide warning signs for other diseases or conditions, including heart disease.
It is not completely clear why this is true, but many of the risk factors for gum disease are also those for heart disease, such as tobacco use, poor nutrition and diabetes.
Gum disease may contribute to heart disease because bacteria from infected gums can break loose, enter the bloodstream, attach to blood vessels and increase clot formation. It has also been suggested that inflammation caused by gum disease may also trigger clot formation. Clots decrease blood flow to the heart, increasing blood pressure and the risk of a heart attack.
If you believe you have gum disease or poor oral health discuss your condition with your DentArana dentist!
Choose Candy Carefully
Valentine’s Day means loads of candy from little hard hearts to big, gooey chocolates.
They all may taste great, but they also damage teeth. Most dangerous are the hard/sticky candies, so if you must eat candy, we recommend softer treats, such as soft chocolate or peanut butter cups. And if you do eat candy, make sure to brush and floss afterwards. If you can’t brush and floss, immediately rinse your mouth out with water.
Start Preparing For Next Year!
If you want to have a stunning smile, great breath, and an improved social life next Valentine’s Day, begin now. Schedule an appointment with DentArana and together we can create a roadmap to a better dental future.
Consider our personalised at-home whitening, which can increase the whiteness of your teeth up to 4-5 shades in only a week. If you have old, dingy amalgam fillings, DentArana can replace them with new, white, composite fillings. Or, consider a dental makeover – Your DentArana dentist can create a comprehensive and coordinated treatment plan to improve your appearance and dental health while also saving your pocketbook.
DentArana Your Partner In Health in Arana Hills
DentArana provides Family Dentistry in Arana Hills. Our goal is to make quality dental care affordable, and help you achieve maximum oral and overall health! DentArana can help you with all your dental needs, from clean and scales to bridges and dentures. We offer late and Saturday hours!
Call (07) 3351 3366 or visit us at Shop 5 Patricks Place in Arana Hills.
