There are different habits that we think will help in maintaining our oral hygiene and clean our teeth, however some of them gives damage to the tooth structures of our teeth leading to damage.

Do you brush your teeth right after eating or drinking something acidic?

Give your teeth some time. If you brush immediately after eating or drinking, you may cause tooth wear because the enamel is softened by the acid. After an hour or so, brush gently with a soft-bristled brush.
Do you brush your teeth before eating or drinking something acidic?

This probably doesn’t happen too often, but if you do, you should stop. Brushing teeth immediately before drinking or eating something acidic brushes away the saliva that protects your enamel from acid.
Do you brush your teeth too vigorously?

It would seem like a good idea to brush hard, to scrub away all the remnants of food you’ve eaten. But brushing too vigorously can wear down and weaken a tooth’s enamel. Instead, brush teeth gently, using circular strokes and a soft-bristled brush.
Do you grit and grind your teeth?

Everyone grits their teeth now and then – when you’re lifting something heavy maybe, or when you’re feeling stressed – and some people grind their teeth while they sleep, a condition called sleep bruxism. Any type of tooth-to-tooth clenching can wear down the teeth.
Do you take any type of medication regularly?

Many types of medications can cause dry mouth. When your mouth lacks moisture, your teeth become more vulnerable to eroding enamel and all of the cavities and gum problems that can develop. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of the medications you take can dry up your protective saliva. You may be able to take action to prevent dry mouth from damaging your teeth.
Do you experience frequent bouts of heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)?

Your digestive system churns with acids. When the acids find their way back up into you mouth via burping or reflux, your tooth enamel may be damaged.
Do you vomit frequently?

As with heartburn or GERD, frequent vomiting exposes your teeth to many digestive acids. People with eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia may induce vomiting, but it can also be a symptom or complication of different illnesses, conditions (e.g., “morning sickness” during pregnancy), treatments, and medications
Do you swim in chlorinated pools often?

The chemicals and chlorine in swimming pools have been found to be corrosive to tooth enamel over time. But you would have to gulp up a lot of chlorinated pool water for it to have much effect. Still, if you spend time in the pool, avoid taking the water into your mouth.

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Teaching your child to brush is the most important contribution you can give to your children. A good oral habit will last a lifetime, starting them early is the best time to start a good tooth brushing habit.

Start them early

The key to establishing good brushing habits is starting an oral care program early. In fact,you can begin cleaning your baby’s mouth the first few days after birth.

After each meal take a wet washcloth and wipe your baby’s gums. This accomplishes three things:

• It removes plaque that accumulates on the gums.Plaque is a sticky substance containing mucus, food debris, and bacteria. Removing plaque prevents bacteria from building up on your child’s gums.
• It gets your child accustomed to having a clean, plaque-free mouth.When your child is accustomed to a clean, plaque-free mouth, they will usually take steps, including brushing, to keep this clean feeling.
• It gets your child accustomed to you “meddling” in their mouth. When your child becomes accustomed to you “meddling” in their mouth, it becomes easier for you to brush their teeth later. It also makes it easier for the dentist to examine and work in their mouths at a later date.

The First Baby Teeth

The baby’s first teeth appear, on average, about six months after birth. Parents may notice excessive salivation and the child may become irritable while these first teeth are coming in.

When teeth appear, use a cotton swab daily to gently wipe the teeth and remove plaque. If your child has not grown up tolerating you “meddling in their mouth” you may have a much tougher problem. If your child is two years of age and their teeth have not been brushed and inspected by you, in all probability, plaque has not been sufficiently removed.

Brushing Your Child’s Teeth

Despite the protests and the fight your child may give you, it is extremely important that you brush their teeth to reduce the amount of placque causing bacteria in their mouths. To reduce the amount of bacteria on their toothbrush try using VIOlight.

Parents, in fact, are responsible for making sure their children’s teeth are clean until the child reaches five to six years of age! This is because, on average, younger children do not have the manual dexterity required to brush teeth effectively.

Why should you go to great lengths to brush your child’s teeth? The most important reason is that tooth decay occurs faster in children than in adults. By brushing your child’s teeth, you remove the plaque bacteria which are responsible for this tooth decay.

Another reason to help your child learn to brush is that this helps them develop a crucial habit which will last a lifetime.

Source: www.saveyoursmile.com

Well it is time to visit your cosmetic dentist and have a smile make over. Since verytime we meet someone in a meeting, on the streets and in any offices we ussually greet them with our beautiful smiles.

Cosmetic dentistry, is comprehensive oral care that combines art and science to optimally improve dental health, aesthetics and function.

Today’s common cosmetic dental treatment options include:

• Whitening, or “tooth bleaching”, is the most common cosmetic dental procedure. While many whitening options are now available, dentist-supervised treatments remain the recommended procedures for lightening discolored teeth.

• Enamel shaping removes parts of the contouring enamel to improve the appearance of the tooth. It may be used to correct a very small chip. The removed enamel is irreplaceable, and may sometimes expose dentin. It is also known as enameloplasty, odontoplasty, recontouring, reshaping, slenderizing and stripping.

• Contouring, also known as tooth reshaping, is one of few instant treatments now available in cosmetic dentistry. Dental reshaping and contouring is a procedure to correct crooked teeth, chipped teeth, cracked teeth or even overlapping teeth in just one session. The dental contouring procedure can even be a substitute for braces under certain circumstances. It is also a procedure of subtle changes. A few millimeters of reduction and a few millimeters of tooth-colored laminate is involved. Tooth reshaping, or dental contouring, is commonly used to alter the length, shape or position of teeth.

• Bonding is a process in which an enamel-like dental composite material is applied to a tooth’s surface, sculpted into shape, hardened and then polished.

• Dental bridges are false teeth, known as a pontics, which are fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures. In areas of your mouth that are under less stress, such as your front teeth, a cantilever bridge may be used. Cantilever bridges are used when there are teeth on only one side of the open space. Bridges can reduce your risk of gum disease, help correct some bite issues and even improve your speech. Bridges require your commitment to serious oral hygiene, but will last as many ten years or more.

• Veneers are ultra-thin, custom-made laminates that are bonded directly to the teeth. They are an option for closing gaps or disguising discolored teeth that do not respond well to whitening procedures.

• Gum lift is a cosmetic dental procedure that raises and sculpts the gum line. The procedure involves reshaping the tissue and/or underlying bones to create the appearance of longer or more symmetrical teeth.

Source:Wikipedia

A step by step instructional video!

It is important to brush your teeth for complete 2 minutes at least twice a day to prevent plaque build up.