Rules For Brighter, Whiter Teeth

Brush with the best
You should brush your teeth at least 2 minutes, keeping the head at an angle of 45 degrees away from the gums. Go with stiff bristle brushes, medium or soft gums scraped raw. Best, however, are the electric-clean better, are more gentle on the gums, and make you commit to the entire 2 minutes. You should ditch your memory every 60 days or when the bristles become bent, whichever comes first.

Watch Your white

First-time users often experience tooth whitening sensitive teeth, says Richard Price, DMD, American Dental Association. Salvation: a study in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry that people who brush with toothpaste potassium nitrate for 2 weeks at home before bleaching are less likely to feel greater sensitivity. Our favorite: Tom of Maine natural toothpaste. For more of the top dental hygiene gear, check out teeth the best new products for men.

Equally important: knowing when to stop the laundering of routine, as if his chompers start to turn blue around the edges. "This indicates a breakdown of the dentin," said Jonathan Levine, MD, PhD, founder of GoSmile, "which is the substance below the enamel of the teeth being whitened."

Make your teeth shine
When choosing a home bleach, use common sense. "Do not be fooled by false claims to whiten," says Gerard Kugel, MD, associate dean for research in the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. In short: a higher concentration of bleach work faster. For a complete review of a home computer, look for a carbamide peroxide concentration of at least 10 percent. In a study conducted in Germany, in the office of the bleached teeth trays six colors in three sessions ($ 500 to $ 1,000), and variety in the home requires seven applications ($ 300 to $ 600). Whitening strips requires applications of 32 ($ 20 to $ 150). Click here for more information about home whitening kits.

But you can not aspire to a band and forget about it. Use a whitening toothpaste to maintain the brightness of the discoloration, and a thread-bleaching areas of plaque between teeth strong absorb the colors. Finally, see the coffee, juice and wine: oral-bling are murderers.

Dragon's Breath Banish
If brushing and flossing are not doing the trick, go for dirt tongue. "Your tongue is like a shag rug from the 1960's, the bacteria are from outside, clinking champagne glasses," said Jonathan Levine, MD, which means they are probably smoking pot, too. The answer: a tongue scraper. Look for one with a hard edge as OraSweet of ($ 3.50, orasweet.com). Go as far as I can, then pull forward, tongue scraping. Follow peroxide mouthwash. Overscrape No, says Fuad Malik, DDS, a dentist from New York. It can cause "hairy tongue", which is not evil at all. For more answers to your questions, smile, read Ask the Expert teeth.