Category: Your Smile

5 Natural Emergency Remedies for Tooth and Gum Pain

09/12/2018 | Your Smile |

The pain of a toothache is one of the worst pains there is, and when that pain hits, you want relief and you want it now. The best way to deal with serious tooth and gum pain is to see your dentist, but what do you do when that pain strikes in the middle of the night, on the weekend or on a holiday when your regular dentist is not available?

You could call the emergency number and pay for an expensive emergency visit, but you might want to try some natural remedies first. Toothache pain can be very severe, but there are things you can do to lessen the suffering. Using these natural remedies now can buy you time and allow you to wait until your dentist is open for business, saving you a lot of stress and a lot of money.

Here are five natural remedies for toothache pain. These emergency treatments should not take the place of regular dental care, but they can really help in a pinch.

The Warm Water Saline Rinse

One of the most effective treatments for toothache pain is also the simplest. Just place a teaspoon of kosher or sea salt in the bottom of a clean glass, fill it with warm water and shake it up. Gargling with the saline mixture can remove stubborn food particles and kill harmful bacteria

Salt and Pepper

Applying a paste of salt and pepper directly to the tooth and gum can provide excellent temporary relief. Both salt and pepper have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, making them excellent remedies for toothache pain. Just mix equal parts of salt and pepper with a few drops of water to form a paste, then place that paste directly where it hurts.

Garlic

Garlic is good for more than keeping vampires away. Garlic can also ease the pain of a toothache and make you feel better while you wait for the dentist. Chewing on a clove of garlic can bring you instant relief, and mixing crushed garlic or garlic powder with black pepper can be very effective as well.

Raw Onion

Chewing on a raw onion at the first sign of a toothache can eliminate the pain, or at least lessen the severity. If you are not able to chew the onion, just place a thin slice directly on the problematic tooth or set it between the tooth and gum

Vanilla Extract

Your probably have a bottle of vanilla extract in your kitchen counter or spice rack, and you can use it to soothe your toothache pain. Just dip a cotton swab in the vanilla extract and apply it directly to the hurting tooth.

You do not have to suffer with toothache pain while you wait for your dentist to return your call. The next time the intense pain of a bad tooth strikes, just reach into your medicine cabinet or kitchen counter and use these five home remedies to soothe the pain and buy time until you can see your dentist for a permanent fix.

6 Ways to a Brighter Smile – But Which of Them Actually Work?

08/08/2016 | Your Smile |

The glittering smiles of Hollywood stars are perhaps not a realistic ideal for most people to strive for, but that doesn’t mean having to put up with heavily stained or discolored teeth.

Many people wish to increase the whiteness of their smile, and there are many products available on the market to help with this, both over-the-counter and those restricted to the dental surgery. Do any of them actually work, and are they safe to use?

1. Whitening Mouthwash

This type of product offers the simplest prospect of teeth whitening. Use of a good, non-whitening mouthwash is highly recommended as part of normal dental hygiene, and the promise is that by replacing your standard mouthwash with one containing whitening agents, you can brighten your smile at the same time as protecting against decay.

Unfortunately, the truth is a little less conveniently impressive. Although whitening mouthwashes do contain agents that will over time help to decrease dental staining, these ingredients aren’t very powerful.

If they were actually strong enough to have any dramatic effect, they would also risk causing gum and tooth problems, and would have restrictions placed upon their use. That’s not to say that using these products is entirely without merit, but they are best viewed as supporting players to a more effective whitening treatment.

2. Whitening Toothpaste

Whitening toothpastes have a similar problem to mouthwashes in that the ingredients they contain are so weak that they can have little real effect.

However, these toothpastes also suffer from a second problem: most of them also contain abrasives to remove a thin layer of stained material from the surface of the tooth.

When used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, this will cause no problem, but the temptation is to over-use the toothpaste to get a more visible result, and this can cause tooth damage. At best, it may lead to sensitive teeth, while at worst it can promote cavities and decay.

3. Dental Whitening Strips

These are the first class of products looked at here that actually contain whitening agents in sufficient concentrations to have a real, visible effect. Dental strips will certainly result in whiter teeth, but there are two main problems.

Firstly, it can be difficult to properly apply the strips so that they cover the curved surfaces of your teeth evenly. This can result in unbalanced whitening, with the areas near the gums often staying a darker shade – not an attractive look.

Secondly, if the strip is applied inaccurately and is placed over your gums, over time this can easily lead to problems including inflammation and sensitivity.

4. Home Bleaching Kits

Most dentists would agree that these DIY whitening kits should be approached with extreme caution, especially if they’re bought online where the ingredients, effectiveness, and safety can all be hard to rely on.

With such kits, it’s difficult to know whether they will have any effect at all, or whether they in fact contain bleaching agents strong enough to cause real and lasting damage which can be painful and costly to rectify.

If you buy one of these products from a reputable company and follow the instructions carefully, you will probably see good results, but you should probably avoid the cheaper, more anonymous offerings if you value your dental health.

5. Professional Whitening

This involves a variety of treatments only available from your dentist, ranging from whitening kits which are similar to over-the-counter products but safer and more tightly controlled, to powerful laser treatments which can have dramatic effects in less than an hour.

All reputable dentists will be able to advise on the best whitening option for your needs, and although the treatments can be expensive the results are dependable, safe, and will last for at least a couple of years.

You will also benefit from the oversight of your dental surgeon who will ensure that you have no existing problems which an unsupervised whitening procedure could easily make worse.

6. Dental Veneers

This is a kind of cosmetic dentistry which is fast growing in popularity because of its effectiveness, safety, and relative lack of expense.

Veneers are thin slivers of porcelain or similar materials which are carefully shaped to cover your existing tooth surfaces, resulting in a natural and undetectable look which can be as light in shade as you’d like.

Veneers are quick to fit, usually needing only two visits to your dentist, and will effectively whiten your smile for up to a decade, as well as covering up other small cosmetic problems such as chips or small gaps.

Whether you’re looking for a brand new smile or just for teeth a few shades whiter, there are many options available. Unfortunately, the cheapest and easiest to use choices are generally the least effective, and also carry the highest danger of side effects.

Ultimately, if you want effective whitening with minimum risk, then a visit to your dentist to explore professional treatment is the best route to take.

3 Natural Ways to Whiten Teeth

18/07/2016 | Your Smile |

If you feel self-conscious about how your teeth look, you are not alone. One of the most common concerns that people have about their teeth relates to yellowing or discoloration. This is most often caused by aging, smoking, and drinking dark beverages.

Some people will whiten their teeth through artificial means, such as expensive home whitening kits, but others are looking for better ways to do so. The good news is that there are some natural ways to whiten your teeth that will produce great results.

Use Baking Soda

Baking soda is a well-known natural tooth whitener, and this is because it is both abrasive and has whitening properties. For the best results, combine baking soda with hydrogen peroxide. Together, these two agents can be used to whiten teeth and to remove tough stains.

Brush With Lemon Juice

lemon

Another effective way to whiten your teeth naturally is to use lemon juice. This is an acidic substance that can be used to brighten teeth by several shades.

You simply have to apply it to your toothbrush and brush regularly once a day for several weeks. However, avoid over-using lemon juice because it can strip away the enamel from your teeth.

Rinse With Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is another acidic substance that can be used to whiten and brighten teeth, and the results may be similar to that of lemon juice. It may take several weeks before you see results, but rest assured that this is an effective way to brighten your teeth. Just as is the case with lemon juice, the acid in vinegar can harm enamel, so use this substance with care.

You could buy expensive whitening kits, or you can forego this expense and enjoy similar results through these options. If you have been looking for a better, more natural way to whiten your teeth, consider these ideas.