How to Get the Perfect Smile for Valentine’s Day

It’s February, and we all know what the most important day of the month is —That’s right, Valentine’s Day, and it’s just around the corner.

Many of us are looking forward to a romantic evening with our special someone, a party, or sharing cards and candy with friends.

There are two most important things; a big smile showing your beautiful white teeth and improved confidence because you no longer have bad breath.

Unfortunately, if you go on a date, out to a party, or hang around with your loved ones and have bad breath and yellow teeth, you do nothing but ruin the mood.

Imagine you’re on a date, you lean in for a kiss, and your partner leans back to avoid your breath! Nothing ruins the Valentine’s Day mood like bad breath and yellow teeth.

And, of course, it’s not just Valentine’s Day, bad breath can ruin the other 365 days of the year as well.

So, what steps can you take to have a fresher breath as soon as Valentine’s Day?

At Captivate Dental, we have some general advice for battling bad breath and some concrete advice if you are going out for a romantic evening.

General Advice to Keep Breath Fresh for Valentine’s Day

Get a scale and clean from Captivate Dental. A scale and teeth cleaning helps eliminate plaque build-up, tartar build-up, and bad breath. When your teeth have plaque on them, they are at risk for tooth decay and plaque is unattractive.

Plaque build-up is also one of the biggest causes of bad breath because plaque harbours smelly bacteria. A teeth cleaning can stop both of these problems, make your teeth kissably smooth, and remove unsightly build-up.

Brush and floss regularly. This is the at-home foundation of dental health and good breath.

Don’t smoke. In addition to leading to other serious health problems, smoking leaves your breath unpleasant– smelling like an ashtray. It also increases your risk of gum disease, which is an additional cause of bad breath.

How To Ensure Great Breath For Valentine’s Day Dinner

Here is a step-by-step process to make your Valentine’s Day worry-free:

Before the Date

• Brush your teeth.
• Brush (or scrape) your tongue.
• Floss before your date to remove food that might be lodged between teeth.
• Use a mouthwash or rinse. Be aware that if a dental problem is the cause of chronic bad breath, a mouth rinse will only mask the odour and not cure it. In some cases, mouth rinses may aggravate bad breath by irritating oral tissue. For a quick refresher, rinse quickly with water mixed with a few drops of peppermint oil. Or rinse your mouth with green or black tea; rinsing your mouth with black or green tea suppresses the growth of bacteria that cause mouth odour.

During Dinner

• It’s well known that certain foods and drinks can leave a strong taste in your mouth. Often, if you can still taste it, others can smell it; the aroma is expelled when you talk and breathe. When trying to maintain fresh breath, avoid garlic, onions, dairy, coffee, alcohol and other items with strong or pungent ingredients.
• Eat foods that crunch. Foods with crunchy textures and high moisture content can remove foods caught between your teeth and remove bacteria that feed on these trapped foods. These bacteria cause the teeth to feel fuzzy when you run your tongue along them. Consuming hard textured foods (ideally with high water content) is like brushing your teeth.
• Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated with this odourless liquid throughout the day washes away food particles and helps to produce saliva, which works to cleanse your mouth and prevent dry mouth.
• If you left your mints at home, gnaw on garnish – believe it or not, many garnishes neutralise smell-causing sulphides. Mint aids in freshening breath and at the same time increases your intake of greens. Parsley contains chlorophyll, which counters the creation of sulphur compounds, the culprits behind that rotten egg or stinky cabbage smell.
• Stay away for chocolate cake and choose a dessert full of berries, oranges or apples, which help cleanse your breath.
• Instead of coffee, sip lemon tea.

After Dinner

• Chew gum with xylitol when all eating and drinking is done – this not only freshens breath, but it stimulates saliva flow, which cleanses the mouth.
• Medicate upset stomachs, especially if you suffer from acid reflux.

Let’s recap the two most important things; a big smile showing your beautiful white teeth and improved confidence because you no longer have bad breath. We’ve already covered bad breath for you. Now, let’s dive into your discouraging yellow teeth and how to fix them.

One of the best solutions for your yellow teeth is teeth whitening. Teeth whitening has many benefits, the most apparent being how effective this simple treatment can be for improving your smile. In less than an hour, in-office whitening can brighten your teeth by six shades or more. Your bright, new smile can impact your whole appearance, helping you look younger and more attractive.

Whitening treatments are efficient and provide almost instant results. Making a whitening appointment before big events like Valentine’s Day is an effective way to look your best.

Teeth whitening treatments can also provide lasting results with proper care. New stains may emerge in the future, but maintaining your smile with touch-up treatments can keep your teeth as bright as possible.

At Captivate Dental, we have the answers to your yellow teeth and bad breath issues!

Complete Dental Care in Cheltenham

Captivate Dental is conveniently located in Cheltenham near Brighton (near Kingston City Hall and Cheltenham Station).

Cheltenham dentist provides the highest quality care and enable patients to make informed choices.

Our competent, caring staff provides value through excellent diagnostic skills and effective use of the best quality materials.

For more information on teeth whitening in Cheltenham, call us on (03) 9553 1249. Visit us on the web, or use our convenient online booking page.

We are located at 36 Chesterville Road in Cheltenham.