Category: Blog

White teeth are generally the preserve of the very rich or Americans. No more. Founder of Honestly Healthy Food, Natasha Corrett, has teamed up with premium toothpaste brand BlanX to find ways to naturally brighten your teeth. The foods below can help you gain, or maintain, a perfect smile. Some are a little surprising…

Strawberries

And you thought all those gleaming white smiles at Wimbledon were the result of expensive dental work. Strawberries are fantastic natural teeth whiteners because they contain Malic Acid, which removes surface stains from teeth and whitens the enamel.

Apples

An apple a day keeps the dentist away. Crispy apples strengthen the gums and their high water content increases the production of saliva, dispersing any bacteria in the mouth. And – like several foods on this list – apples function as a naturally abrasive scrub for the teeth.

Celery

Because it’s so stringy it makes a perfect natural dental floss. That’s a joke – please don’t floss your teeth with celery. But, like apples, the high water content of celery brings out that bacteria-washing salvia in force.

Carrots

Alas, carrots won’t help you see in the dark. (That’s an old World War Two myth.) However eating carrots regularly could help whiten your teeth. You know the drill by now. High water content, brings out salvia, bye bye bacteria.

Apples

Chewing this hard fruit will keep your choppers in tip-top shape. The apple’s crispy texture scrubs your teeth and gums, while its high malic acid content helps to remove stains while increasing saliva production
Remember, an apple a day keeps the cavities away.

Carrots

Carrots are a fantastic natural teeth cleaner. Similar to apples, its crunchy abrasive texture polishes teeth and removes surface stains. Carrots also encourage saliva production to protect teeth against cavity-causing bacteria.

Cheese

This one is particularly gratifying. Hard cheese is full of calcium, which strengthens teeth and gums. Plus, being mostly colourless, cheese won’t stain your teeth in the manner of, say, coffee.

A toothache is a pain in and around the teeth and jaws. Tooth decay, an infection, loose or broken fillings, or receding gums can cause it.

Cold compress or ice pack

A cold compress or an ice pack can help ease dental pain, especially if a toothache is due to injury or swollen gums.

A person can try holding the ice pack or a bag of frozen peas, for example, against the outside of the cheek above the painful tooth for a few minutes at a time.

Saltwater mouthwash

Rinsing the mouth with warm salt water helps to loosen debris lodged in cavities or between teeth. It may also reduce swelling, boost healing, and relieve a sore throat.

A salt water rinse can be made by dissolving 1 teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and swish around in the mouth for about 30 seconds before spitting out. This process can be repeated as often as needed.

Painkillers

Over-the-counter medication, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, can provide temporary pain relief for a toothache.

Garlic

Garlic has been widely used for medicinal purposes throughout history. It contains a compound called allicin, which accounts for its powerful antibacterial properties.

A fresh clove of garlic should first be crushed and then mixed with a little salt, and the mixture applied to the affected tooth.

Peppermint tea

Like cloves, peppermint has numbing properties that can soothe a toothache. Menthol, which gives peppermint its minty flavor and smell, is also known to be antibacterial.

• give up smoking
• eat a healthy, balanced diet and avoid eating strongly flavored or spicy food
• cut down on sugary food and drink as it can increase the number of bacteria in your mouth
• reduce your alcohol consumption
• cut down on coffee
• drink plenty of water to help prevent your mouth becoming dry
• chew sugar-free gum after eating to stimulate the flow of saliva – this will help clean away any remaining food particles

You should visit your dentist for regular check-ups. Having regular dental check-ups will ensure any plaque and calculus – previously known as tartar – is removed from your teeth, particularly in areas that are difficult to reach.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in water in varying amounts, depending on where in the UK you live.

It can help prevent tooth decay, which is why it’s added to many brands of toothpaste and, in some areas, to the water supply through a process called fluoridation.

Fluoride toothpaste

Brushing your teeth thoroughly with fluoride toothpaste is one of the most effective ways of preventing tooth decay.

A range of toothpaste is available containing different levels of fluoride. The amount of fluoride in the toothpaste can be found on the side of the tube and is measured in parts per million (ppm).

Is fluoride safe?

There have been some concerns that fluoride may be linked to a variety of health conditions. Reviews of the risks have so far found no convincing evidence to support these concerns. However, a condition called dental fluorosis can sometimes occur if a child’s teeth are exposed to too much fluoride when they’re developing.

The purpose of orthodontic treatment is to make the best of your teeth.

This includes straightening your teeth so you’re able to care for your teeth and gums more easily, and improving your bite so you can eat more comfortably. And your smile will benefit, too.

Treatment almost always involves using braces to straighten crooked, crowded or protruding teeth, close gaps between teeth, and correct the bite so the top and bottom teeth meet when the mouth is closed.

What’s the best age to have braces?

The ideal age to have braces is usually around 12 or 13, while a child’s mouth and jaws are still growing.

The opportunity for improvement in an adult is more limited and treatment is likely to take longer.

People talk a lot about sleep and associate a lot of myths with it. We just don’t hear them often but also experience them a lot of times. Some may be laughed off as “old wives tale” but some myths are based on incorrect information and can prove to be dangerous for us. Here is a list of common myths debunked about sleep complied by National Sleep Foundation.

Myth 1: Just snoring is sleep apnea.

Snoring sure is a sign of sleep apnea but both of these are different things. Sleep apnea can actually cause a person’s breath to pause up to 400 times throughout the night. These interruptions may last for anywhere between 10 to 30 seconds.

Myth 2: Sleep apnea is not life-threatening

Sleep interruptions are capable of wrecking your body, mind and basically the whole day day-after-day. When you haven’t slept enough and sound, you put yourself at the risk of injuries at work, road accidents, heart attacks, and heart ailments.

Myth 3: Sleep apnea doesn’t block your breath.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea that occurs when the airway is blocked by your tongue, tonsils or other tissues at the back of your throat. It stops the air when you try to breathe.

Myth 4: Sleep apnea is a disease of the old

A medical estimate states that in US, more than 18 million people are affected by sleep apnea. Most commonly, people above the age of 40 suffer from sleep apnea but the disorder can affect people of all ages. Being overweight, male, African-American or Latino puts you at an increased risk of suffering from sleep apnea. It also can be inherited and runs in families.