Teeth with yellow or dark stains can mar your confidence levels. It can make you not too sure about yourself as you make the effort to hide your teeth. Though everyone is born with distinctive hair, eye and tooth color, white teeth looks the most beautiful. There is no second opinion about it. Children are born with white teeth but as we grow older our intake of different food items start affecting it. Certain foods and beverages like tea, coffee and berries leave dark stains when consumed regularly. Smoking is also a huge factor for ugly teeth. How many regular smokers you know have bright teeth? Very few, aren’t they? If you have this horrible habit, do yourself a favor and stop smoking. You will be rewarded with better teeth and a healthier body.

Teeth whitening can be done professionally or at home. Whitening the teeth is so important because people are very conscious about how they look and a dazzling smile can make an average-looking face look beautiful. White teeth also project a youthful look increasing the confidence of the owner. If you want to get your teeth done professionally you can be assured that you will be in experienced hands. Four to five sittings at the dentist will remarkably improve the appearance of your teeth. Nowadays advanced technology is being used making the procedure completely safe and risk-free.

But if you are one of those people who don’t want to spend $300 on professional teeth whitening, you can opt for a home kit. There are a great many available in the market and they are much less expensive. Each kit will come with a carbamide peroxide gel and a custom-made tray that will hold the gel onto your teeth. You can leave the gel for anything from an hour to overnight. It’s better if you could consult your dentist before you do this at home.

But teeth whitening once a year is not enough to hold on to your pearlies. There is absolutely no substitute for a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. Including crunchy food in your daily diet like broccoli, apples, spinach and oranges will keep your teeth in perfect condition. Quitting smoking, limiting the amount of sugar in food, having less tea and coffee are ways which are going to ensure that you have your teeth in perfect condition even when all your contemporaries lose theirs! Stay happy and keep smiling!

Research has shown that 80-90% of the cases of bad breath originate in the mouth.  The intensity of bad breath may depend upon the time of the day. The odor may be more intense after having eaten foods like garlic, onions, meat, fish and cheese.  Obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption are also causes of bad breath. The odor may also be more during the morning hours, as the exposure of the mouth, to oxygen, is limited, during the night, and therefore is inactive.  Studies have shown that 25% of people in USA suffer from chronic bad breath. This leads to a bad social, professional, and personal life, thus leading to low self-esteem and increased stress.  

DIAGNOSIS

The origins of bad breath lie in the mouth, tongue, periodontal disease, nose, tonsils, stomach and systemic diseases like lower respiratory tract infections, etc.  Scientists admit that it would be difficult for a person having bad breath to know about it unless and until someone else tells the person. The simplest and most effective way to diagnose bad breath is to ask a trusted adult family member or close friend. The confidant can further determine the origin and treatment for the condition. The best way would be to scrape the posterior back of the tongue, lightly with a plastic disposable spoon and to smell the drying residue. 

However, there are home tests available, which use a chemical reaction to test the presence of polyamines and sulphur compounds on tongue swabs, but their effectiveness is suspect. Moreover, as breath odor changes in intensity throughout the day depending upon many factors, multiple testing may be necessary.  Also available are professional methods to diagnose bad breath, which are adopted, only if the home methods fail. Hundreds of clinics and dispensaries now claim to detect and subsequently cure the condition. These clinics use equipments like halimeter, gas chromatograph.