BELLABODY HEALTH BEAUTY AND FITNESS

Taking Care of Your Teeth and Mouth

1. The ADA official word is to brush your teeth twice a day. However, I consider that the minimum and suggest a gentle yet thorough brushing after every meal.

2. Brush your tongue, too, when you brush your teeth. It gets rid of bacteria and other residues that lead to discoloration of the tongue and bad breath.

3. Brush, or at least rinse your mouth, after drinking or consuming a sugary substance.

4. Floss daily. A flat floss like Glide is more effective and the most comfortable to use. This also goes a long way towards preventing bad breath.

5. Avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup like the plague.

6. Smoking is bad for the health of your mouth, increasing your risk of periodontal disease and cancer of the mouth so don’t smoke.

7. Eat an apple.

8. Use a soft toothbrush. Stiff bristles can hurt your gums and even damage the enamel on your teeth. And don’t brush too hard!

9. Don’t over-use whitening toothpaste. Some whitening toothpastes use abrasives to scour surface stains off your teeth, which can eventually lead to damaged tooth enamel if you over-do it. It’s probably more effective (and safer) to have a laser teeth whitening treatment once or twice a year.

10. Go to the dentist on a regular basis. Once or twice is year is adequate for most people. Less often if you are low risk for gum and dental disease; more often if you are high risk. The following are potentially high risk; smokers, diabetics, people with weakened immune systems or currently have gum disease, and people who simply tend to get cavities easily and frequently.

11. Have your teeth cleaned by a dentist or dental hygienist on a regular basis. Your teeth will look and feel great and it can help prevent gum disease and tooth decay.

12. Swap out those black amalgam fillings for non-amalgam at a mercury-free dentist.

13. Avoid amalgam fillings all together.

13.a. Make sure you get enough vitamin D, which has been showen to support oral health by taking a vitamin D supplement and/or getting plenty of sunshine.

Having Nice, White Teeth

Let’s face it, having nice white teeth makes it more likely that you will be proud of your smile and smile more often. Plus, it adds to your overall confidence, big time.

14. Get a professional, teeth whitening treatment at Bellabody. It’s so nice to get it all done in one relaxing visit – another reason to smile.

15. Whiten your teeth with a good home whitening kit, such as our Teeth Whitening pens, that gives professional results at home.

16. Try a non-abrasive teeth-whitening system such as our Daily White.

17. Remember to follow up all teeth whitening treatments with something to seal and strengthen your teeth, like Minerals Enamel Booster.

18. Get braces if you need them. These days, with the advances in teeth straightening technology, adults are opting for the braces their parents could never afford or didn’t think they really needed.

19. If you have chipped teeth or gray-colored stains that refuse to go away with bleaching, look into porcelain veneers.

20. Quit chewing tobacco. Tobacco use, chewing or smoking, stains your teeth. For the whitest teeth, don’t use tobacco.

21. Avoid red wine.

22. Limit coffee.

Teeth Whitening and Brightening Home Remedies

While home remedies for whitening teeth may not be as dramatic, they do help!

24. Baking Soda: An old-time favorite, baking soda has many purposes, including tooth brightening – not necessarily whitening. Most dentists agree that it’s safe to use and works fairly quickly. You can use it alone on a damp toothbrush, or better yet a cotton tipped swab, or mix it with toothpaste to help neutralize the salty taste. However, brush gently and again, don’t over-use it. It is an abrasive and therefore has the potential to erode tooth enamel eventually.

25. Hydrogen Peroxide: One of the most popular home remedies, peroxide, is cheap and most people have it on hand. Chances are, you will feel some burning in your gums, but you’ll be left with clean, whiter teeth. Typically, most people will see results within a couple of weeks but it can happen much sooner. It’s also safe to gargle, but don’t swallow. Brush your teeth as you normally do, and then swish for about a minute. Follow up by spitting it out and rinsing thoroughly with water. Another way to use it is by dipping a cotton swap in the solution and gently rubbing it into your teeth – front and back. Afterwards, apply a remineralization gel.

26. Strawberries: Not many people are aware that strawberries contain natural teeth whitening agents and the seeds work great for cleaning. Since they also contain sugar and acids, it’s important to brush immediately afterwards with a fluoride toothpaste. For easy and quick application, you can either rub the strawberry against your teeth, or mash it up and use it like toothpaste.

27. Wood Ash: Strange as it may sound, hard wood ash helps whiten teeth. It contains potassium hydroxide, a compound that will bleach your teeth. The tiny crystals scrape off plague in hard to reach places and will scrub them clean. However, using wood ash often or scrubbing too hard can wear down your tooth enamel, so it’s best to avoid using it for long periods of time. To apply it to your teeth, you can put it directly on your toothbrush or mix it with a small amount of toothpaste.

28. Homemade toothpaste: One of the better home recipes for whiter teeth is a paste consisting of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, table salt and a dab of toothpaste. Mix it all together and brush away stains. Brush lightly so as to only remove plaque, not enamel.

29. Rock salt: Gargling the teeth with a cup of water and half a teaspoonful of rock salt at night is beneficial to prevent all tooth problems.

30. Cider vinegar: Brushing your teeth every night with apple cider vinegar is also an effective home remedy for teeth whitening. However, anything acidic has the potential to deteriorate your enamel so rinse thoroughly with water 3 times afterwards.

31. Orange peel: Rubbing the inside of the orange peel will help for teeth whitening. Ditto on the rinsing.

Having Nice Lips

33. Slough dry, dead skin off your lips in the shower while the dead skin is soft and easy slough off with a washcloth or even your finger.

34. Use a cosmetic lip exfoliator.

35. Use a cosmetic lip plumper.

36. Use a quality lip balm to seal in moisture and prevent lips from getting chapped. Remember, you end up eating 90% of what you put on your lips. Look for natural ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E.

37. Red lips can really set off white teeth. Find a red lipstick you love. If you can wear cool shades, as opposed to warm shades such as orange red, then try a red with blue tints. It will make your white teeth stand out that most.

38. Um, here we go again – lovemaking will make your lips redder and fuller temporarily.

39. Don’t forget to bleach (or wax) that upper lip, ladies!

40. Don’t smoke – yes, we list it here again because the action of repeatedly puckering your lips to draw in the smoke causes unflattering lines in your lips. Or, if you must smoke, practice drawing in the smoke without tightening your lip muscles.

Reasons to Smile

Okay, now that you are on your way to having the most physically perfect smile that you can achieve, you need to start smiling – a lot! Here are some things to think about or do that will get you smiling. Smiling has fringe benefits!

41. Smiling instantly improves your appearance. HELLO! Who doesn’t want their appearance instantly improved?!

42. Smiling has the magical ability of making everyone feel better, especially after a mistake or during a down moment.

43. Smiling changes your physiology and makes you feel good. It is difficult to feel bad while you are smiling.

Smiling Techniques

45. If you’re shy about smiling or not used to smiling, practice smiling at animals, babies and children for a non-threatening start.

46. Practice smiling in the mirror.

47. While you’re practicing, see which smiles and angles look the best on you and make you appear the most radiant.

48. Look at photos of yourself and choose the ones where you think your smile looks the best. Practice those smiles in the mirror.

49. Smile with your eyes. A genuine smile always affects your eyes.

50. Cover your mouth while you smile and look in the mirror to see how smiling affects your eyes.

51. If you have a gap in your teeth, press your tongue against the back of it while you smile to minimize its appearance.

52. Don’t compare yourself to movie stars, models, or celebrities. They spend thousands on their looks and they’re probably fake smiling to boot!

53. Learn to love your teeth – they don’t have to be model perfect – few people have model perfect teeth.

54. That said, if you are uncomfortable with your teeth, don’t stop smiling. That’s ridiculous! Not smiling at all is far worse than smiling with a physically imperfect smile. You can always smile with your mouth closed if your tooth appearance issue is temporary.

55. Smile back. When you’re returning a smile, make it as big as you want.

56. Give a smile to everyone who makes eye contact with you.

57. If you’re a guy and uncomfortable with smiling at guys, just give a slight closed mouth smile and nod. We observe guys doing this all the time and it’s perfectly socially acceptable.

58. Think of something you laughed hysterically at. Now laugh very slightly and you have a natural happy smile.

59. See someone you like? Tilt your head and smile slightly, with lips just barely parted for a soft, flirtatious smile.

60. Pretending to laugh gives a great smile – a surprisingly real one, too!

Remembering Awesome Happy or Funny Moments

A genuine smile stems from positive emotions, so thinking about or remembering things that make your really happy or that are really funny, almost always makes you smile.

61. The first time you held your newborn child.

62. Your first kiss.

63. A super embarrassing moment for your worst enemy.

64. The best lovemaking you ever had.

65. The look on a loved one’s face when you surprised them with a special gift.

66. When you were praised or recognized for one of your accomplishments.

67. A really fun adventure with friends or family.

68. Getting a raise or a bonus.

69. The day you got the keys to your first home or car.

70. When they called you up and told you that you got the job.

71. The funny way that your partner, friend or self dances.

Doing Things That Make Yourself and Others Happy

There are some things in life that you can DO that are practically guaranteed to make you smile a big, genuine ear-to-ear smile because they make you happy. This is our list – you probably have a few of your own.

72. Pet a cat.

73. Pet a dog.

74. Hold a baby.

75. Watch a really funny movie.

76. Watch funny YouTube clips 

77. Surprise a loved one with something you know will make them smile, and you’ll smile big, too! We guarantee it.

78. Do a good deed.

79. Take your dog for a walk.

80. Play with children – especially active games like tag or simply racing them across the yard.

81. Give someone a neck or shoulder massage. You’ll both be smiling.

82. Play staring games. Get face-to-face with someone like your child, friend, or partner and stare at each other without blinking or smiling. Whoever smiles or blinks first, loses. It’s really hard not to smile because their face will start shape-shifting when you stare for a long time.

Confidence Boosters for a Great Smile

When you’re feeling confident, you’ll naturally smile more. Looking your best and feeling healthy are great confidence boosters. These are things you can do to look and feel your best.

83. Don’t try to fake a smile. Almost everyone can spot a fake smile and you’ll come across phony or even dangerous.

84. Check your teeth in a mirror after eating to make sure you don’t have spinach or something stuck in your teeth.

85. Wear clothes that make you look and feel great.

86. Don’t throw your clothes on the floor. Hang them up so your favorites are wrinkle free, easy to find, and ready to wear.

87. Keep up with your laundry and mending so you always have nice clean clothes to wear.

88. Invest in a really good haircut or hairstyle.

89. Invest in chemical-free hair care products that suit your hair type.

90. Get up on time so you have plenty of time for your morning beautification rituals.

91. Get plenty of rest so you look and feel great and CAN get up on time!

92. Exercise. It helps you feel great and look great in more ways than one. It is a major contributor to the release of endorphins (your natural feel good chemicals) and mental health.

93. Get plenty of fresh air.

94. Get plenty of sunshine. Vitamin D is made in your skin when your skin is exposed to the sun. Vitamin D helps with all kinds of things.

95. Lose weight – if you need to.

96. Tone up or firm up – if you need to.

97. Eat lots of fresh vegetables – they keep your system running smoothly and provide anti-aging nutritional value.

98. Find a high quality, well-balanced, complete vitamin supplement to take.

99. Take time to stand up and stretch, bend, and twist at work.

100. Start cutting detrimental substances out of your diet like junk food, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, etc.

101. Love yourself. Loving yourself means you’ll take good care of yourself, say nice things to yourself, and generally feel much better about yourself and therefore have more to offer others and the world. All of which leads to greater happiness and a really great smile.