Do you actually brush your teeth for 2 minutes a day, if you don’t my friends you need to listen up – your going to lose your teeth, suffer poor oral health and its going to cost you a fortune at the dentist (note to self, should have been a dentists)!

Do you make these 5 common mistakes brushing your teeth?

• Brush for less than 2 minutes?
• Scrub from side to side?
• Press to hard in vain to remove stains?
• Use a whitening toothpaste all the time?
• Brush aimlessly?

This year you should brush your teeth for 24 hours. Thats just 2 minutes a day, twice a day – it is not that long. However if you are guilty of any of  the above  STOP THEM RIGHT NOW!

These simple errors are going to cost you and it is so easy to put them right.

Brush for less than 2 minutes?

80% of people don’t – FACT.

If you actually timed yourself you would me amazed, its  longer than you think. If you dont brush your teeth for at LEAST, not just 2 minutes, AT LEAST 2 minutes you may as well not bother venturing into the bathroom!

Dental experts inform us that less than 2 minutes is not long enough to remove the bacteria film that has built up that day on the teeth and in the mouth.

Scrubbing Your Teeth

Not the best idea, although when you are young you dont really care, quick scrub side to side and off you go, no time to pansy about in the bathroom.

The problem is that those bad habits, unless you have very forceful parents stay with you into your early teens and by then the damage to your enamel is already done.

To prevent damaging your tooth enamel brush your teeth up and down and in circular motions, gently. This method is more efficient and cleans the tooth without damaging the enamel.

Using To Much Force

Do you go at it really hard, pressing down on the belief that you will remove all the stains and make your teeth whiter?

It actually does not matter how hard you “press on” – each day you can only remove daily food and bacteria that you have consumed. The stains you see are those that have occurred over a period of time. To get rid of them you have to have a teeth whitening treatment.

Brushing to hard can not only damage your tooth enamel it can also aggravate your gum line and cause your gums to bleed, leaving them open to infection – from the bacteria you are trying to remove!

Overuse of a whitening toothpaste

An ideal solution is to use a combination of toothpastes over a year. Using a whitening toothpaste daily is NOT RECOMMENDED, as they contain abrasive particles which with over use can damage the tooth enamel.

There are 3 types of toothpastes that in combination will give you good protection, improve the appearance of the tooth and restore / strengthen the surface enamel

• Protection against gingivitis, tooth decay, tartar and plaque build up (contains fluoride to strengthen)
• whitening toothpaste (remove some surface stains)
• One containing liquid calcium (restores surface enamel and strengthens the tooth)

Do you brush Aimlessly?

If you let your toothbrush meander around your teeth aimlessly you may as well not bother either.

The tooth’s surface has 5 sides and its tough work removing all the nasty little “critters” that have snuck into every nook and cranny.

Start at the back on one side and work in quadrants – there are 4! top left and right, bottom left and right. Work around each areas of each tooth carefully and dont forget the top.

Dont forget the gum line, just be gentle and why not give your tongue a tender brush and remove all the bacteria there…

So do you make these 5 common mistakes brushing your teeth? You have been warned, you hopefully have a long life to live and you need your nashers…

Do you know how to prevent your teeth from rotting? In this short video discover my 5 Top Tips to Prevent Tooth Erosion, keep your teeth & mouth healthier, as well as saving money on expensive dental visits

For more information got to our website www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk. If you like this video please feel free to share with your friends

Regards

Steve

(aka ‘The Tooth Ninja’)

www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk

Beauty By Design LLC

Dental erosion is the irreversible loss of tooth tissue due to exposure to acid, but do you really consider the consequences?

It is going to cost you time, money and a fair bit of pain to boot!

The problem is of course in today’s lifestyle is that most people do not have enough time to stop and think – let alone consider the implications of what you are eating and drinking.

The sources of acid can be from internal (from within the body) or external sources. The impact of that one can of coke, fruit juice, wine or carbonated sports drink can have a significant impact. Simple medicines such as Vitamin C or Aspirin or foods such as citrus fruit can cause you big problems!

Are you at risk?

If you fall into any of these categories you may want to take a look at what you consume and how you can improve your oral health;

• Have a high intake of acidic foods or drinks
• Have low salivary flow or dry mouth
• High intake of caffeine
• Regularly dehydrated
• Have insufficient water intake

Top 5 Ways of Preventing Dental Erosion

1. One of the simplest ways to reduce dental erosion to is to ensure that you do not brush your teeth after every meal – well at least wait 30 minutes. The body will produce its own saliva and this is used to break down acids, wash away food particles – its your own bodies cleaning system.
2. Drink plenty of water
3. Brush daily with a fluoridated toothpaste
4. Chose to only have acidic drinks at main meals
5. Avoid ‘sipping or ‘swishing’

A healthy lifestyle doesn’t always mean a healthy mouth

Enjoying, or more pointedly sipping sports drinks during training or an event, can be improving your hydration and performance, but it could be causing you dental erosion.

When strong acid is frequently present the mouth’s natural defense mechanism can no longer deal with the problem. So you might be running or training faster but you could be speeding up the process of tooth wear.

Stephen Douglas (AKA The Tooth Ninja)

CEO – Beauty by Design

www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk

The first thought like anything else is that if it tells you on the label that a product does something then surely it must? In the case of your toothpaste selection you may want to read the label closer…

Firstly a word of caution: It is not advisable to use a ‘whitening’ toothpaste for a sustained period of time.

What You Need To Know About Whitening Toothpaste

Whitening with a toothpaste – or more accurately ‘stain removal’ works by the simply method of abrasion. The silica-like substances in whitening toothpastes create the abrasive action. Now, in truth, all toothpastes remove surface stains – it’s just that teeth whitening toothpastes have more abrasive formulations and therefore act more quickly, so you see a result faster. 

There are hundreds of toothpastes to choose from at your local chemist, drugstore, supermarket or online – many claim to whiten. In my opinion many remove daily stain (some better than others) although they hardly whiten your teeth in the true sense of  the word.

Quite simply, the best way to get lighter teeth is to have them either whitened by your dental practitioner or use an OTC home teeth whitening kit. Once a suitable tooth shade has been achieved then the use of a toothpaste to protect against caries, that also cleans and removes plaque are considered as the key requirements in your toothpaste choice. They are the fundamental benefits of tooth brushing to improve oral care.

Studies and research show that RDA and Radioactive Enamel Abrasion (REA) are generally accepted ways of measuring safety from the standpoint of abrasion of toothpastes.

Any toothpaste with a Radioactive Dentin Abrasion (RDA) >80 should not be used daily for sustained periods of time.

Criteria of RDA (tested on the dentin)

• RDA score of greater than 80 presents high abrasion – these toothpastes should be avoided, or not used on a daily basis
• RDA score between 40 to  80 presents medium abrasion – these toothpastes are recommended
• RDA score below 40 presents low abrasion – these toothpastes are recommended for sensitive teeth and gums

The indication of a toothpastes RDA is not required by law to be on the packaging, nevertheless most do state their levels.

Are you a scrubber or a up and down brusher?

Another important point to consider is that new stains on roughened surface enamel appear even stronger. Therefore the use of a ‘whitening’ toothpaste on a daily basis could be more damaging.

Advice

Brushing up and down helps remove stain in the vertical lines of the tooth enamel. Refrain from a horizontal tooth brushing motion and brush up and down only. Horizontal brushing can free dentin between the anatomical crown of  the tooth and when the gum is heavily rubbed a wedge shape defect can develop, resulting in the worst case a fracture of the tooth.

pH is Important (measurement of REA) 

Without sending you all to sleep (stay with me) studies prove that pH levels lower than 5.2 cause demineralization of the tooth enamel. Recent research aimed at studying the effects of pH on enamel also seems to establish a link between low pH and a strong concentration of acid and erosion of the enamel.

Summary

So whichever toothpaste you choose, read the label. Silica by abrasion will ‘clean or lighten’ your teeth quicker than a normal toothpaste but be wary of damaging your tooth enamel by long term use. By all means use a whitening toothpaste from time to time each year, indeed use a home teeth whitening kit once every couple of years. However the use of a paste or tooth polish that also keeps bacteria at bay and helps restore the tooth’s surface enamel would be more appropriate to daily use.

Check on the outside of the box before you buy or if you are not sure contact the manufacturers  consumer relations office which can be found on the outer packaging of all products.

 Congratulations to Lita Cavanagh & Daniel Leask who posted the best comments on our facebook page about “Why Oral Health is Important”. They each win a box of Crest 3D Whitestrips 2 Hour Express Whitestrips worth £42.50. Be sure to post a picture guy’s on our facebook page and remember to flash those pearly whites!

WHITNEY PORT is not just another pretty face in Hollywood. Port is paving her own way, and making sure that she builds a solid foundation that she is proud of. Most recently, Whitney penned the book True Whit (Harper Collins), which is a go-to- guide for young women.

The book gives advice on everything from rearranging your closet to decorating, makeup, cooking, dating and fashion tips.

Whitney started off on the MTV’s reality-hit show, “The Hills.” In Season 1 of “The Hills,” Whitney began appearing as intern at Teen Vogue Magazine, and as Lauren Conrad’s co-worker and confidant.

By Season 4 she was a regular and audience favorite. In December 2008 Whitney’s own spin-off, “The City” launched on MTV. She moved across the country and the cameras followed as she begin working for Diane Von Furstenberg. In Season 2 of “The City,” Whitney was working at People’s Revolution and on her fashion line, Whitney Eve.

Whitney writes on her website, “For those of you who don’t know, I’m a huge fan of Crest 3D White 2 Hour Express Whitestrips — I’ve tried a ton of different whitening methods and not only are these the most effective, but they only take two hours! I’m a girl on the go so I’m all about speed, so I feel like these were made for me haha. Anyway, since I love these so much, I wanted to give you guys the opportunity to try them too. I’m giving away five boxes of the 2 Hour Express Whitestrips right here” but thats no good if you live outside of America so….

I AM GIVING AWAY 3 BOXES OF CREST 3D WHITESTRIPS 2 HOUR EXPRESS WHITENING

So why not start the New Year with a smile - Hop over to our facebook page – CLICK HERE  – give our page a “LIKE” and look for the Whitney Link and add your comments – the best 3 that make me laugh will win a box of Crest 3D Whitestrips 2 Hour Express Whitening. The rules: I decide the winner!

Theme for the comments -  “why is oral health important”.

Happy Whitening

Steve Douglas

‘The Tooth Ninja’

www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk

Having a great smile – being able to smile with confidence not only makes you look more attractive to others, it increases your self esteem.

People who struggle with smiling, people reluctant to smile through dental health problems can feel frustrated in their social environment or at work.

To compound matters there is a general perception of fear of the dentist – in the UK alone a staggering 25% have a dental anxiety in some shape or form. Whether that starts from a childhood ‘nightmare’ or tell tale stories it is a worrying trend that affects so many.

There are so many things we can do every day that can improve our oral health, which in turn can reduce the amount of dental visits you have to endure! Obtaining a great smile is not just for the rich and famous, and there are just 6 ways to get whiter brighter teeth.

Here is my 6 Ways to get Whiter Brighter Teeth;-

1) Get your self a really good, medium or soft bristled toothbrush – change every 3 months

2) Choose a toothpaste and / or a conditioning paste to use everyday – strengthen your enamel

3) Brush your teeth twice a day for at least 2 minutes – remove daily plaque

4) Floss once a day – remove hidden bacteria

5) Use a home teeth whitening kit to whiten those pearly whites – improve your appearance

6) Visit your dentist at least twice a year – make sure your teeth are healthy & impress them!!

By maintaining a good oral health program you can keep your teeth and gums healthier, remember you only get one set of teeth so it is important to look after them; nobody wants a set of dentures by their bedside at night if  they can help it – and its never to late to start.

Happy Whitening

Steve Douglas

‘The Tooth Ninja’

www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk

If you have just whitened your teeth, or are about to, watch what you eat after teeth whitening especially in the hour afterwards. Eating certain foods and avoiding others can help you keep your teeth whiter for longer after you have used an at-home whitening kit.

Many people ask how long will the whitening effect will last for, of course the answer is different for everyone, as tooth shade is biological and lifestyle plays an important part.

Before parting with your hard earned cash you need to consider that it is not just about  wearing some crest whitening strips for 25 minutes a day and yippee you have white teeth!

You have to be prepared to help the process, avoiding all foods that typically stain teeth in the hour after use would be of great benefit.

Avoiding all foods that help make your teeth yellow for the complete treatment period would be just about perfect; thats if you feel like you can give up red wine, coffee, tea, smoking, curries and other such awesome cravings!

There are certain foods that can help keep your teeth whiter with or without the use of a home bleaching kit. Fruits such as apples, green beans, carrots and celery help scrub the teeth while you chew. They also help promote the flow of saliva, which neutralises acids and protects the teeth

Dairy products, especially those high in calcium, and cheeses also help keep teeth white. The lactic acid in these products helps prevent decay. Harder cheeses also help remove food particles left on the teeth.

Teeth whitening is a safe cosmetic dental treatment that has been carried out successfully by dentists for hundreds of year.

However it is important that you regulate the amount of whitening you do. All things in moderation, and once you have whitened you need to implement a really good oral care program that along side a good diet will help keep your teeth whiter for longer.

Before you undergo a teeth whitening treatment it is important to find out from your dentist your suitability to the process.

Proctor & Gamble the manufacturers of the new Crest 3D Whitestrips range now have a product to suit everybody’s needs. Whether you have dark tooth stain, yellow tooth stain or even sensitive teeth there is a solution.

Crest 3D Whitestrips are manufactured from the same enamel safe ingredients that dentist’s use. They are now the no.1 take home teeth whitening kit in America and are taking the rest of the world by storm.

Simple to use and easy to apply Crest whitening strips offer an affordable alternative to a dental whitening – and the results are exactly the same.

Clinically controlled amounts of whitening gel are applied to each teeth whitening strip. When the whitening gel is applied to a person’s teeth, the peroxide breaks down into oxygen molecules that work effectively to go inside the teeth and break down stains that sit inside the pores of tooth enamel.

After 25/30 mins simply remove the strip, brush and rinse. Most people see visible results in just a few days, however full results are seen in 14 or 20 days depending on which kit you buy.

Crest 3D Whitestrips are ideal for people who lead busy hectic lives and do not have the time for long dental treatments, often requiring several visits. They will whiten all types of tooth stains including intrinsic ones which can be difficult to remove. 

Sensitivity can for some be a part of the whitening process, however it is not harmful or permanent. Finally for those who suffer from tooth sensitivity then Crest 3D Whitestrips Gentle Routine are an ideal choice as they are a more gentle whitening process.

For more information and to compare Crest Whitening Strips visit our store here

As oral care is important to you I thought that this article from the British Dental Association might be of interest to you.

A research study has revealed that sugar free drinks could dissolve your tooth enamel. In fact they could be dissolving your tooth enamel right now!

WHAT I hear you cry, it’s not possible – you bet it is!

Sugar Free Drinks Could Dissolve Your Tooth Enamel

In this article you will learn how…

On one hand you try to be really good and eat and drink healthily, avoid sugars where possible, eat lots of fruit, reduce calories & fatty foods etc and yet it has, been revealed there could be a down side to avoiding sugar free drinks – rotten teeth!

A paper published in the British Dental Journal has revealed that sugar-free gum, drinks and sweets that are promoted as healthy alternatives could actually be as harmful as sugary foods, as they contain acidic additives, which erode the protective enamel surfaces of the teeth.

The paper, ‘Are sugar-free confections really beneficial for dental health?’ investigated the role of additives that are used in place of sugar.

The study found that sugar-free foods can reduce the risk of cavities, but they increase the risk of acid erosion, which makes the teeth vulnerable to damage.

Digestive problems were also highlighted as a possible result of eating sugar-free foods and researchers suggested that there was little evidence to support the fact that consuming these foods facilitated weight loss.

And there is more….BAD NEWS, as you age your tooth enamel gets thinner. Underneath tooth enamel is dentin which is porous and absorbs substances which can cause tooth stain – that’s mainly why people buy a home a home teeth whitening kit, like Crest Whitening Strips.

Can you see where this is leading…….the net result is that age, sugar free food & drink will attack your enamel, and reveal your dentin shade more clearly – this is your intrinsic tooth stain.

There is good news however as you can protect and rebuild your tooth enamel.

One way is to reduce the amount of sugar free food and drink, the second is you can use tooth remineralisation pastes that contain liquid calcium. These products if used over time will help rebuild tooth enamel.

Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser for the British Dental Association, said that excessive consumption of sugar-free products that are high in acid contributes to enamel erosion, which increases the risk of a tooth becoming damaged.

I guess as my grandad used to say, “All things in moderation” …