Want a lovely smile?
The mere hint of a smile lights up a face and boosts the mood all around. But to get, and to keep a lovely smile requires a bit of work and some tender loving care…
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Your mouth is so much more than just a tool for speaking or eating. It plays a very important role in the early moments of first meetings, whether professional or romantic. And a lovely smile will make you look, well… lovely!
Follow our advice to make sure that your smile gets all the attention and care it needs to work as a positive force in your life.
Lovely smile, great teeth
The first thing you need for a lovely smile is a great set of natural, healthy pearly whites. Tooth enamel suffers constantly from external aggressions (from food and bacteria), so it’s important to brush your teeth at least twice a day.
- Ideally, you should brush your teeth after every meal with a precise vertical rotational action: start from the gum, and then move down towards the base of the tooth, go round and back up again. Horizontal brushing actually damages and weakens the enamel. Keep brushing around your entire mouth, on both the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth and gums, four 3-4 minutes each time.
- Think about changing your toothbrush every three months – but any sooner than this, and there’ll be no added benefit. Once you’ve accepted that a brand new toothbrush takes off 30% more dental plaque than a overused-used brush, you’ll know it’s time to throw the old one away!
- To compliment double daily brushing, you should also use dental floss, which will dislodge any food particles trapped between your teeth (since over the long term, your pearly whites can end up working loose from the gums).
- Finally, for fresh breath, don’t forget to brush your tongue – now made easier with many toothbrushes having a little tongue-brushing section on the reverse side. You can also rinse out your mouth with a minted mouthwash.
- And of course, don’t forget your annual check-up at the dentist’s. This appointment is not to be missed, as you can have your yearly plaque removal and cleaning session. Having regular dental check ups could be the difference between simply having a tooth filled and suffering through a root canal treatment. Best to nip any problems in the bud.
Lavish care on those smiling lips
The skin on your lips is very fine, which means that it’s ultra sensitive. You can nourish it and hydrate your lips by using a reputed lip balm every day and by choosing richer skincare products in winter or if you go skiing.
It’s the same sort of extra precautions when you go in the sun too. Think about using lip balms with anti-UV in them. Very gently exfoliate your lips from time to time, removing any dead or dry skin, which make them look neglected, especially yucky to the eye if you wear lipstick (the rough bits will stand out!).
- Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil, 5g – £3.69
This replenishing and hydrating natural lip balm is infused with the antioxidant goodness of pomegranate oil.
- Palmer’s Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter, 4g – £2.54
Softens and soothes dry chapped lips whilst adding a subtle gloss. The addition of peppermint oil refreshes the breath naturally.
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Copyright © 2011 Doctissimo
Posted 14.12.2011
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