The key to healthy, whiter teeth (and gums) is daily plaque removal. However most people don't know what plaque is, how to remove it or the little know tips that can keep your teeth whiter, brighter and healthy!

1. Cleaning & Whitening
Your Teeth
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2. Cleaning Your Teeth & Gums
The key to healthy teeth
and gums is daily plaque
removal.
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3. What is Plaque?
Plaque is the sticky colorless film of
bacteria that is constantly forming on
your teeth.
Plaque build up is one of the main
causes of tooth decay and gum
disease.
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4. Cleaning Your Teeth & Gums
(1 of 3)

Step one: Brush your teeth immediately after eating foods that stain.
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5. Cleaning Your Teeth & Gums
(2 of 3)

Step two: regularly use a good bleaching agent, either from the
pharmacy or your dentist.
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6. Cleaning Your Teeth & Gums
(3 of 3)

Step three: be conscious of tooth-staining foods and drinks, and have
them only when a toothbrush is around. If not, have an apple for dessert.
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7. Go on a white-teeth diet
Follow these simple instructions and you'll be off to a great start:
If you’re drinking a lot of red wine and black
tea, or smoking cigarettes, expect the results to
show up as not-so-pearly whites. Other culprits
include colas, gravies and dark juices.
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8. Hum while you brush
The ideal amount of time to brush
to get all the bacteria-packed
plaque out is at least two minutes.
Use your watch or keep a timer in
the bathroom and set it for two
minutes. Or find a tune that lasts
about two minutes and hum it to
the end.
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9. Grip your toothbrush Like a pencil
The best way is to place your
toothbrush at a 45 degree angle
against your gums and gently
move it in a circular
motion, rather than a back-andforth motion.
Grip the toothbrush like a pencil
so you won’t scrub too hard.
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10. Change your toothbrush regulary
Throw away your toothbrush or change the head of your electric toothbrush at least
every two to three months. Otherwise, you’re just transferring bacteria to your mouth.
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11. Use alcohol-free mouthwash
Most over-the-counter mouthwashes
have alcohol, which can dry out the
tissues in your mouth, making them
more susceptible to bacteria.
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12. Clean your tongue daily
Clean your tongue with a tongue
scraper every morning removes
tongue plaque and freshens your
breath.
A major cause of bad breath is the
build-up of bacteria on the
tongue, which a daily tongue
scraping will help to banish.
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13. Cut back on sugar
Limit sugary foods. Sugar plus bacteria equals oral plaque. Plaque leads to bleeding
gums, tooth decay and cavities. Plus, the acid in refined sugars and carbonated beverages
dissolves tooth enamel.
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14. Eat tooth-cleaning foods
Foods that are firm or crisp help to clean
the teeth as they’re eaten. Apples raw
carrots, celery and (unsweetened)
popcorn are all good examples.
For best results, make “detergent” foods
the final food you eat in your meal if you
know you can’t brush your teeth after
eating.
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15. Drink 8+ glasses of water a day
Not only does the water help to keep your
digestive system healthy and hydrate your
skin, but it also helps to keep your teeth
white.
The more water you drink, the more
bacteria you flush off your teeth and out of
your mouth, meaning less risk of gum
disease, fewer cavities and fresher breath
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16. Check your breath
To check the freshness of your breath, lick the back of your hand and smell it
while it’s still wet. If you smell something, it’s time for a sugar-free breath mint or
tooth brushing.
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17. Prevent tooth fractures
Suck—don’t chew—hard foods such as hard candy or ice. Chewing hard
foods creates tiny fractures in the enamel of your teeth that, over the
years, combine to result in major cracks.
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18. 4 Ways to Protect Your Teeth
1. Eat chocolates, candies & sweeteners made from Xylitol
instead of sugar
1. Estimate the cost of professional cleaning with our Dental Cost
Calculator
1. Find a local dentist in our Dental Directory of over 90,000
dentists
1. Get Financing for the entire cost of your new braces
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