Nothing says you’re happy like a big, bright smile. If you want to have a lifetime of sparkling pearly whites, then you better get in sync with your dental hygiene. That’s right, dental hygiene is a major portion of your overall health—and something you need to focus on at least twice a day, sometimes even more. As a teen, you’re at a risk for developing unhealthy teeth. Do you love to drink soda, eat sweets and ice cream with your friends on Friday afternoons, skip brushing at sleepovers, and maybe even forget to floss? Well, if any of this sounds familiar, visualize yourself without any teeth. You’d look pretty funny, wouldn’t you? That’s why it’s so important to take care of the teeth you have now. By your teen years, you probably have all of your adult teeth (if you’re 14 and still have some “baby teeth,” talk to your dentist). So make your teeth happy by brushing and flossing regularly and avoiding sugary snacks so that you can smile wide when you are happy!

You’ve heard it from your dentist, and probably from your parents … “Brush your teeth twice a day.” Well, that’s something you really need to listen to. In the morning when you wake up, or after you have some breakfast, brush those teeth. Same thing again, before you go to sleep. If you feel like brushing your teeth after lunch, go ahead. In fact, you can brush after you eat every time throughout the day. When you brush, remember that most dentists recommend that you brush for over two minutes at a time. If you’re in a rush, don’t cut corners at the sink. Also, hold the toothbrush firmly and make sure you get every tooth, in the front and the back. Use a toothpaste with fluoride, so that while your toothbrush wipes off the plaque, it's also delivering a repair team of fluoride to help undo the damage caused by bacteria.

But brushing isn’t enough. In order to get the plaque and gunk out from in between your teeth, you have to get out that floss. Flossing may seem like a huge inconvenience, and it can even be painful and cause some bleeding the first few times you do it, but keep it up. In just a couple of days your gums start getting healthier and your breath better. The plaque that gets stuck in the un-brushable places is the major culprit in causing cavities and tooth decay. So, unless you like getting drilled at the dentist, stick to flossing and do it once a day.

Click below to read about related topics.

Introduction
The Dentist
Braces & Retainers
Wisdom Teeth