A smile freshens up the face better than any make-up can do. A killer smile will make everyone look and stare. You do not have to have a perfect set of teeth but keeping your pearly whites clean and your breath smelling fresh will definitely be life changing.

Brushing your teeth twice a day is an essential dental care. This helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease. The size and shape of your toothbrush should fit the mouth to enable the brush to reach all areas easily. Using a toothpaste containing fluoride is also another tip in dental care for fluoride helps protect your teeth from decay. It is also a vital dental care if you clean between the teeth using floss or interdental cleaners which remove plaque from the in between areas the toothbrush can't reach. This also prevents gum disease.

Brushing the teeth is not as easy as you thought it is. You might not believe this but brushing the teeth is more than brushing the teeth, spitting out the water, and gargling. The following are tips in brushing that will definitely vamp your personal dental care.

• Brush at a 45 degree angle in short, half-tooth-wide strokes against the gumline
• In brushing chewing surfaces, hold the brush flat and brush back and forth
• Tilt brush vertically and use gentle up and down strokes with toe of brush in brushing inside surfaces of front teeth
• Brush the tongue in a back-to-front sweeping motion to remove food particles and freshen the mouth.

As mentioned earlier, flossing is a vital part in dental care and similar with brushing, there is a proper way in doing it. The following will teach you how to floss properly and get that great smile.

• Wrap an 18-inch strand around your middle fingers and hold a one inch section tightly.
• Ease floss between teeth and clean up and down several times while curving around the tooth at the gumline.
• Always floss behind the last tooth and unwind clean floss as your proceed.
• Floss around the abutment teeth of a bridge and under artificial teeth with a floss threader.

It has been said that a person should visit the dentist at least twice a year and that saying is not just a maxim passed from a parent to a child for the sake of passing but in fact is a type of dental care that we all should be responsive. Brushing and flossing will never be enough to keep your pearly whites unbelievably clean and your mouth smelling fresh. Visiting your dentist at least once in six months will ensure that killer smile you thought only existed in commercials.

When you go to the dentist, you get more than cleaning. If cleaning is all you can get from the dentist as dental care, your dentist might be getting more than your money's worth. When you visit the dentist, you actually get a full spectrum of dental care. The full spectrum includes diagnostic, preventive, and educational services specifically and individually designed to help you keep the best possible smile.

The diagnostic part of dental care spectrum includes:

1. A review and update of your medical history
2. A recording of any changes in your prescribed medications and physical condition
3. X-rays for detecting decay, bone loss, and oral diseases
4. An examination of your teeth to detect decay
5. Evaluation of your gum tissues
6. Checking your biting patterns
7. Evaluation of possible cosmetic alterations which may help improve your smile

The preventive service of the spectrum of dental care includes:

1. blood pressure screening
2. Head and neck oral cancer screening
3. Scaling of the teeth to remove all plaque and tartar
4. Polishing of the teeth to remove all stains
5. Polishing of the silver crowns
6. Polishing all silver restorations
7. Flossing
8. Application of fluoride if necessary
9. Referral to a specialist for specific treatment if necessary

The educational service of the spectrum of dental care includes:

1. A tour of the mouth and discussion of the findings
2. Tooth brushing and flossing instructions
3. Dietary discussion
4. Presentation of prescribed dental treatment
5. Updates on what is new in home care products and latest advances in dentistry

Dental care is more than brushing the teeth as you have learned as you read this article. Good oral hygiene is a habit we all should get into to keep that smile a killer that will make you attractive and not scary.

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About the Author
Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about dental care, please go to: http://dental.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/