Best Practices for a Healthy, Beautiful Smile

The best practices for a healthy, beautiful smile are everyday habits you can improve one step at a time, plus regular dental visits. Most people value their smile, yet it is easy to get a little lax. This guide from Southern York Smile Care in Shrewsbury, PA lays out good, better and best choices so you can see where you stand and pick your next step up.

Small changes add up. Committing to a few oral health best practices now can prevent bigger problems later, save you time in the dental chair, and help you feel more confident every time you smile.

Brushing and flossing

Daily cleaning is the foundation of every healthy smile. Plaque, the soft film of bacteria that forms on teeth, starts to build again within hours of brushing. Left alone, it hardens into tartar and feeds both cavities and gum disease.

• Good: Brush once a day.
• Better: Brush thoroughly twice a day, or after meals, for a full two minutes each time.
• Best: Brush after meals and floss carefully before bed, so nothing sits between your teeth overnight.

Use a soft-bristled brush and gentle pressure. Scrubbing hard does not clean better; it can wear enamel and push gums back. Angle the bristles toward the gumline, work in small circles, and do not forget the backs of your teeth and your tongue. If string floss is hard for you, a water flosser or small interdental brushes are good options. Our article on water flossing explains how to use one well.

Timing matters

After acidic food or drinks such as citrus, soda or wine, rinse with water and wait a while before you brush. Acid softens enamel for a short time, and brushing right away can wear it down. Read more in When It's Better Not to Brush.

Dental checkups and cleanings

Many dental problems are painless until they are advanced. Regular visits catch small issues while they are still small and easy to fix.

• Good: See a dentist when something hurts.
• Better: Come in at least once a year, even when nothing feels wrong.
• Best: Have a thorough exam and a professional cleaning twice a year.

At Southern York Smile Care, a cleaning is a full 60 minutes, so there is time to remove tartar carefully, check your gums and talk through anything you have noticed. Dr. Steven Haywood also checks for early signs of oral cancer, using ViziLite, a blue dye rinse and OralCDX when a closer look is needed. Digital X-rays, with up to 90% less radiation than film, and a DIAGNOdent laser cavity detector help find decay early. You can learn more about dental cleanings and preventive dentistry at our office.

A whiter, brighter smile

Coffee, tea, red wine and time all leave their mark on enamel. Whitening is one of the simplest ways to refresh your smile, and the options range from a few dollars at the drugstore to professional care.

• Good: Use a whitening toothpaste to lift surface stains.
• Better: Use a whitening product at home, following the directions closely.
• Best: Choose professional, in-office teeth whitening, where your dentist checks your teeth first and protects your gums during treatment.

Whitening works on natural enamel, not on crowns, veneers or fillings. If you have dental work in the front of your mouth, talk with your dentist before you start so your smile ends up an even shade.

Replacing a missing tooth

A gap is not only a cosmetic issue. When a tooth is lost, the teeth beside it can drift, the opposing tooth can over-erupt, and the jawbone under the gap slowly shrinks because nothing stimulates it.

• Good enough for some people: Ignore it. We do not recommend this.
• Better: Fill the space with a well-made dental bridge.
• Best: Restore the tooth with a secure, natural-looking dental implant, which replaces the root as well as the crown and helps keep the bone healthy.

Dr. Haywood is a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and plans implant care with Green CT 3D imaging. If you are weighing your options, our article on dental bridges vs. dental implants walks through the differences.

Smile-friendly nutrition

What you eat, and how often you eat it, shapes your dental health. Every time you have sugar or refined starch, mouth bacteria produce acid for a while afterward. Frequent snacking keeps that acid attack going all day.

• Good: Eat a sensible diet.
• Better: Eat a healthy diet and cut back on sugary snacks and drinks.
• Best: Eat nutritious meals, limit snacking between them, choose calcium-rich foods, skip soda and energy drinks, and sip water through the day to keep acid at bay.

Crunchy vegetables, cheese, plain yogurt, nuts and leafy greens are all good choices. Water is the best drink for your teeth, because it rinses away food and keeps saliva flowing. Saliva is your mouth's natural defense; it neutralizes acid and carries minerals back to enamel.

Best practices for young smiles

Habits formed early tend to last. A child's baby teeth hold space for adult teeth and help with speech and chewing, so they deserve real care.

• Good: Never put your baby to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. When your toddler moves to a sippy cup, do not let them sip juice or milk all day.
• Better: Follow that advice and schedule your child's first dental visit before the first birthday.
• Best: Ask us about dental sealants as your child's back teeth come in, make sure your young athlete wears a mouthguard for sports, and set a good example with your own brushing, flossing and food choices.

Children copy what they see. Brushing alongside your child, and keeping visits relaxed and upbeat, helps your child grow up without a fear of the dentist. Our children's dentistry page explains what an early visit looks like, and Super Smiles for Life has more tips for parents.

Comfort, cost and your next step

Some people put off care because they feel nervous. At Southern York Smile Care, the team offers oral sedation for patients who want help relaxing. You can read about these options on our sedation dentistry page.

If you are thinking about bigger changes, Dr. Haywood also provides cosmetic dentistry, including a same-day smile makeover. The office is out of network with every insurer: you pay at your visit and the team files the claim so your plan can reimburse you. Payment plans through CareCredit and Cherry are available; see financing for details.

Pick one area above and move up a level this month. Then let us help with the rest. To book an exam and a full 60-minute cleaning in Shrewsbury, call (717) 235-3871 or request an appointment. New to the practice? Our new patient information page explains what to expect at your first visit.

About the authorDr. Steven Haywood, DDS

DDS cum laude 1987, US Air Force residency, NYU cosmetic training and Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, with 35+ years in practice.

Meet Dr. Haywood →