10 Steps to a Picture-Perfect Smile!

The foolproof formula to pearly white smile!

Who doesn’t love seeing the bright smiles of Hollywood stars? The perfect smile can do wonders for your confidence and social life. Whether you want to book a job, land that dream promotion or just make a lasting impression on the people around you, a great smile is your secret weapon!

While you might think that having a perfect smile is about getting cosmetic dental procedures such as veneers, crowns, and expensive whitening treatments, the truth is that there are natural solutions you can take advantage of to help you achieve your dream smile. Some of them you can probably already guess, while others may surprise you! Here are 10 tips for a perfect smile:

 

  1.  Eat healthily. You must have heard from a young age how sugary snacks like candy are the worst enemy for your teeth? Although it is true, foods high in carbohydrates such as pasta and bread can also cause cavities because they stick to the surface of the teeth. Over time, the carbohydrates break down into sugars which are what attract the bacteria buildup in your oral cavity. On the other hand, a diet including vegetables and fruits ensures the necessary daily intake of vitamins and antioxidants for your overall body health. For example, apples are great for your oral health, as they contain natural fluoride, fiber, and water which stimulate gums and saliva production. Greens contain a lot of vitamins and calcium which protect the enamel of the teeth.
  2. Drink water. Water also works wonders for your dental health! How? It helps remove food residue stuck between your teeth, your tongue or between your inner cheeks and gums. It can also restore your mouth’s pH balance after you consume acidic foods and hydrate it with saliva production, preventing bacteria overgrowth.
  3. Replace toothbrush 3-4 times a year. Dental professionals recommend a toothbrush replacement every three to four months or sooner if the bristles are no longer nice and straight. The more you use your toothbrush, the less effective it is to scrape away the food residue and bacteria from the oral cavity. Plus, a toothbrush that has been in use for a long period of time is likely to carry bacteria which makes it no longer safe to use.
  4. Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush. We have to be thankful for the dental care evolution throughout the centuries. Could you imagine if our toothpastes contained crushed bones and oyster shells like the ones our ancestors used did? Abrasive materials and brushing hard do not achieve a more thorough cleaning. On the opposite, that can cause gum bleeding, gum recession, enamel erosion, and tooth sensitivity. That is why dentists suggest gentle brushing with soft-bristled toothbrushes. Our brand new Nordics Premium toothbrush is exactly what you need and you can get it here.
  5. Have a consistent and proper oral hygiene routine. Establishing the right oral care routine is undoubtedly the most important step towards healthy teeth. If you are looking for excellent results, you should brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes at least twice a day, floss or use interdental brushes at least once a day, and use mouthwash afterward. This is the foolproof method to minimize the risk of plaque buildup, oral infections, and diseases at the comfort of your own home.
  6. Limit consuming staining drinks & foods. Your habits food- and drink-wise can have an impact on how your teeth look. When it comes to your diet, you must keep in mind that there are a lot of ingredients and drinks we all consume daily that, through their pigments and colorants, have the ability to stain or discolor your denture. You might, therefore, want to limit or even avoid coffee, sodas, tea, red wine, certain dressings and sauces, balsamic vinegar, colored candy, and of course deep-colored fruits like blackberries, red grapes and blueberries, and their juices. Nevertheless, some of the above have proven benefits for your overall health, and some others, like coffee and red wine may be some of our guilty pleasures. Therefore, as it is not possible to totally avoid them, you can consume them as long as you follow the right oral hygiene routine including high-quality whitening toothpaste, as your teeth can easily go back to a more yellow, dull tone even a few months after a professional whitening treatment.
  7. Use straws (Nordics) If you were looking for additional ways to improve your everyday oral hygiene, you just found a bonus one! Using straws will surprisingly benefit your teeth in the long-run! They prevent contact between the drinks and the tooth surface, saving you from noticeable staining and the potential formation of cavities.  Want to walk that extra mile? The Nordics bamboo drinking straws are sustainable, eco- friendly, vegan, cruelty-free and made of 100% natural bamboo stems you can use again and again! No doubt you can have the plus of protecting the planet while protecting your teeth.
  8. Use a whitening toothpaste (Nordics) Getting tired of trying to have the sterling smile that you have been dreaming of, but not willing to undergo all these expensive and time- consuming professional whitening treatments? Who said that you can’t have equally good results at home?  With a little help from the Nordics Organic toothpaste Ultra White with Charcoal and Matcha, including natural ingredients in its high quality formula and ideal for an everyday use, you can keep away all the unwanted staining from food, coffee, smoking or medication, while restoring the sparkle of your enamel, providing your teeth with this gorgeous looking natural white shade.
  9. Don’t skip your dentist appointments! One of your wisest decisions towards having a beautiful smile is definitely to make your dentist or dental hygienist your friend. Whether you are lucky enough to have a strong dental quality or you have to try a little extra to maintain a good oral health at home, visiting your dentist twice yearly will save you time, money, and keep you from unnecessary situations like root canal surgeries, filling cavities, treating tartar or tooth-decay. During your scheduled routine dental check, a hygienist will provide you with a detailed image of your dental health, useful tips and, more importantly, alert you about any conditions you might be prone to and need to be mindful of.
  10. Take care of your overall health. Last but not least, even though it is hard for a lot of us to find the connection, many times our mouth works as a mirror for our overall body wellness. Dental conditions may appear in different forms and can stem from other general body conditions and malfunctions, which, if not treated properly and in time, may lead to difficult oral diseases such as tooth decay, gum diseases etc. Stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, anemia are only some of the diseases that can severely affect the good health of our oral cavity and disrupt its balance in multiple ways. Keep good track of your body health with the assistance of your general practitioner who will guide you through to build a strong body and ensure strong teeth and gums as a result.

 

Conclusion

Our products are designed to provide premium dental care to everyone with natural ingredients and a sustainable approach in mind. Completing your dental care routine with nature’s best ingredients and innovative formulas has never been more eco-friendly!

 

Sources:

https://galleriadentalsmiles.com/5-medical-conditions-that-can-affect-your-oral-health/

by Polimira Miteva

How To Naturally Whiten Your Teeth

It's not a secret that many people have stained teeth. Whether it is due to coffee, tea, smoking or aging, there are many factors that can lead to teeth discoloration. But whitening your teeth by a professional can be quite sumptuous, and sometimes it's not even possible to whiten the teeth because there is no strong enamel which is essential for this procedure.

So, in order to help you, Nordics have compiled a list of the 4 ways how you can naturally whiten your teeth:

  • Decrease your sugar intake

Sugar per se is not directly bad for the teeth. However, the sugar in the oral cavity is consumed by the bacteria of the normal flora, and lactic acid is formed in the process. The lactic acid damages the surface of the teeth, the enamel is attacked and loses minerals. Furthermore, the lactic acid leads to a lowering of the pH value in the oral cavity and thus damages your mouth flora – this normally defends the oral cavity from pathogenic bacteria. If it is damaged, caries and other pathogenic bacteria have an easy go. The less sugar you consume, the less lactic acid is produced, and the less chance of caries and the healthier the oral cavity.

It makes sense to not completely exclude but limit the consumption of sugary foods and thus not constantly expose your teeth to sugar or lactic acid. Furthermore, it would be good to wait about half an hour after consuming sugar and then brush your teeth with a soft toothbrush to rid the oral cavity of the lactic acid and the remaining sugar as far as possible.

  • Fruits that brighten your teeth  

Do you know that tingling feeling on your tongue and lips when you eat pineapple? This is triggered by the enzyme bromelian contained in the fruit. It breaks down proteins – and that even noticeably. Pineapple not only supports digestion and has an anti-inflammatory effect, but it also helps you to have whiter teeth. Plaque, which is deposited on your teeth and causes discoloration, consists of proteins. Pineapple enzymes help break down these plaque proteins. In this way, the fruit counteracts unsightly stains.

With strawberries, however, you can even really damage the teeth from the outside. You have to imagine that teeth are made of hydroxyapatite. This is the hardest tissue we have in the body. And if you apply acids to it, calcium and phosphate can dissolve out of this coating. This makes the surface rougher, and the tooth is no longer as stable. So the claim, that strawberries naturally whiten your teeth is something you should better keep your hands off, there is no proof that this method really works. 

  • Floss like a boss

Daily flossing is essential for healthy and white teeth. Although brushing is important for good oral hygiene, brushing alone cannot protect you from gum problems and tooth loss.

About 40 % of the tooth surface lies between the teeth. For larger gaps, there are interdental brushes. Together with a mouthwash (for example our soothing mint mouthwash, which dissolves plaque bacteria), the procedure takes about a minute – but is guaranteed to save an hour-long visit to the dentist. If you consistently floss your teeth, you will soon see a positive effect on the coloring of your teeth, and also have an overall better oral hygiene. 

  • Activated charcoal & baking soda 

Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, consists of a chemical compound that makes it a very mild abrasive. Its abrasive properties can remove stains from your teeth and make them appear whiter. However, if you want to remove deeper, older stains, baking soda is not as effective. With constant use, you can even damage the enamel.

Active charcoal is also often recommended for teeth whitening. In the short term, it removes impurities from the teeth, because the grains of the charcoal acts as an abrasive paper that scrubs discoloration from your teeth. After repeated use, this can actually make your teeth brighter.

However, compared to conventional toothpaste, activated charcoal has a much higher abrasiveness, similar to baking soda. Since the powder abrades the enamel and roughens the teeth in the long term, its use is not yet considered recommendable. The teeth become susceptible to caries. The roughening of the tooth surface also makes it easier for plaque and color pigments to adhere. If you want to use activated charcoal safely, we recommend using toothpaste with the ingredient in it (for example our organic whitening charcoal toothpaste). 

Summary 

In order to naturally whiten your teeth, you can do the following: 

  • Decrease your sugar consumption and adjust your diet 
  • Eat more fruits 
  • Include flossing in your daily oral hygiene routine
  • Use toothpaste with activated charcoal in it 

by Polimira Miteva