Take your fingernail and scrape it gently across the inside of one of your molars. Now look at your finger. See the white stuff under your fingernail? That’s plaque. Plaque is a sticky film of living and dead bacteria that grows on your teeth. When plaque isn’t removed, it can harden 50 per cent within 48 hours, becoming rock hard after 12 days. That rock, called calculus, is more commonly known as tartar. You don’t want either plaque or tartar as they make your teeth look ugly, feel ugly and smell ugly. By getting plaque off your teeth, you’ll prevent a lot of tartar. So let’s see how we can be smiling from ear to ear- plaque free.

Brush,brush,brush: Think of your toothbrush as your sword and plaque as the enemy. What you want to do in this case is rub the bad guy out. The friction of the toothbrush disrupts the bacterial plaque growth on the teeth-as long as you do it correctly. An electric toothbrush is especially good because they work like the brushes used by dental hygienists. According to research, these new brushes remove as much as 98.2 percent of plaque from tooth surfaces versus as little as 48.6 per cent removed by hand brushing.

Attack from the back: The back of your lower teeth is where the plaque is most likely to hide so make sure you reaching those places and not just the “smile” surfaces.

It takes two: Two minutes is all it takes to look after your pearly whites with proper care. Using a battery-powered toothbrush doesn’t mean you can brush for less time, but it can make those 2 minutes more effective.

Change your toothbrsuh: After every 3 months it’s time to part ways with your toothbrush and get a new one. This is because they become less effective at removing plaque from the teeth and gums compared to new ones. Change your toothbrush immediately after you’ve had a cold, the flu, a mouth infection or a sore throat. That’s because germs can hide in toothbrush bristles and lead to reinfection.

Floss away: When it comes to plaque control, flossing is necessary and is more important than brushing.  Any tooth cleaning process is incomplete without regular flossing because it usually clears the deeply located plaque which is often a site gum diseases.

Go swish,swish,swish: After every meal, especially when you can’t carry a toothbrush, dash to the bathroom and swish a mouthful of water around those teeth. One good swish will remove debris and may save you from spinach-in-the-teeth embarrassment 😉

Try Listerine: Listerine has been shown to be effective in reducing plaque when used alone or when used to supplement regular tooth brushing.

Make sugarless gum your last bite: When you can’t brush after a meal, pop a stick of gum in your mouth and chew your way to cleaner teeth. Spend about 20 minutes chewing sugarless gum after meals or snacks. As you chew, your saliva, a natural buffering agent in your mouth, will wash your teeth and neutralize the acid in the plaque before it attacks your teeth.

They say the prettiest thing worn by anyone is their smile! So ladies go and read our article “Achieve A Sexy Smile with these Easy Beauty Tips” and be sure to flash your pearly whites this summer!