Do you know that the shape, colour and smell of your teeth and mouth leave a strong impression on those dealing with you? Both men and women should be aware that their teeth reveal a lot about their characters. Nowadays, dental care has improved remarkably …quot; just look at the extra white teeth of movie and soap opera stars. "Normally, teeth lose their whiteness because of a heavy layer of food on their surface or because of heavy smoking or lack of brushing," says Dr Mohamed Assem, a consultant professor in oral surgery at the Armed Forces Hospital in Cairo. The daily routine makes it hard to take care of our teeth, particularly as most of us spend long hours in work. Many people drink a lot of tea, coffee and fizzy drinks full of sugar, as well as snacking during breaks. Many Egyptians are fond of smoking too. All these habits are the hidden enemies of your teeth. To have a charming smile, the most important advice any dentist will give you is to brush your teeth after every meal and have regular dental check-ups. There are different types of whitening. It may be done personally by using an extra whitening toothpaste on a regular basis or going to the dentist who will clean your teeth for you, using concentrated substances containing hydrogen or stain removers for extra whitening. "If it's only food that has caused the change in colour, the dentist can use quickly rotating polishing tools to remove stains and help whiten the outer layer; it only takes five minutes," Dr Assem told the Egyptian Mail. "But at the same time, people should also brush their teeth using extra whitening toothpaste, if the gums are not sensitive." But it's different if someone's teeth have changed colour from the inside. "Most superstars use a very fine layer of porcelain that acts as artificial enamel, but it's only for the rich as each tooth costs around LE1,000 ($182.4)," he explains. "Another solution is laser treatment using a device called Zoom, which helps change the colour of the tooth according to degree of whitening required. "The porcelain layers that the superstars like can done in 48 hours. The colour is permanent, whereas the whitening made by laser rays only lasts for one year." There are ten degrees of whitening; the degree required depends on the colour of the person's skin, if he looks dark, bronzed or white. Children should be taught to look after their teeth at an early age. "While brushing your teeth, the brush must move in the whole direction, up-down and left-right and the opposite. But don't do this too quickly, as this will cause bleeding if the teeth are sensitive," explains Dr Mohamed Hafez, a pharmacist. "Dental floss, which is a very fine string, is highly recommended for the sensitive and the elderly, as it removes the remains of food lodged between the teeth," he says. Nowadays, there are cola-, mint- and fruit-flavoured toothpastes to encourage children to brush their teeth. Dr Hafez says that most whitening toothpastes include an abrasive for erasing unwanted layers, helping remove the stains caused by fizzy drinks, tea, coffee, cigarettes or food. "It's important to brush one's teeth after every meal as all food contains carbohydrates which contain sugar, which, after fermentation, leads to the destruction of the dentin layer," he stresses.
