shiny teeth and me
(yes that is me eating a poptart - but damn look at those teeth!!)
What is the first physical feature you notice about a person when you first meet them?
For me, the first thing I always notice is a person’s teeth. I am not sure why but it’s always been something I pick up on, and it made me think that if that’s the first thing I notice about a person maybe that’s the first thing they notice about me? That’s when I started paying more attention to my teeth.
Not that I had bad teeth, but for years I would smile with my mouth closed. I wasn’t confident in my smile for a few reasons, one of them being that I didn’t think my teeth were white enough, another being that they weren’t straight enough.
I loved going to the dentist which is probably something you have never heard someone say. More often than not people dread the dentist. Most kids cry as their parent tries to keep them strapped down in the chair or you see it being advertised these days that adults can be put under just to get a cleaning so that they don’t have to worry during the appointment. Maybe they are just going to the wrong dentist. I can’t say enough good about my dentist, my family has been going to Rock Dental before I was even born. The funny thing is that the office is out in Hauppauge which looking at a map of Long Island that is all the way in Suffolk County and I live all the way in Nassau County but the drive is worth it. People think I am crazy when I tell them I drive out that far just to get a cleaning every few months.
I don’t know too many people who ask for a toothbrush for their birthday but I sure did, the minute I discovered there was such a thing as the electric toothbrush. My brother gifted me a Phillips Sonicare toothbrush and its been one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received, ill never go back to a regular toothbrush again except for when I travel, I use a regular toothbrush but other than that I use the electric one. Its like going to the dentist every time you brush your teeth, its incredible, I love it. If you don’t have one then I highly recommend putting one on your birthday list!
Aside from the basic dental hygiene of brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly, I also have made many trips to the orthodontist. I must have been around eleven or twelve when I first got braces. It was bound the happen, almost everyone in my family had them at some point in their life. It was only the matter of time before I had a wire rack with colored rubber bands that matched whatever color Aeropostale graphic t shirt was wearing that day at the appointment. Having braces was part of the awkward phase, it came with the territory but I didn’t mind so much because almost everyone of my friends or rather everyone in my class either had them or was going to get them sooner or later.
I feel like most people remember the day they get them on and the day they get them off, personally I don’t remember either of them vividly but I do remember how often I was brushing my teeth and cleaning in between the wires. I will never forget when the orthodontist said that if I don’t do a good job brushing my teeth then when he takes the braces off their will be stains around the parts where there was glue to hold the braces. All I could think was how much I didn’t want to see those stains when the braces came off. Before and during braces my teeth were dull, we’ll say. They were not yellow, but I wasn’t singing “shiny teeth and me” either.
Once I got the braces off, although I was confident in how straight they were I still wasn’t confident in my smile just yet. It was then that I started whitening which was a fairly new technique, in the sense that it was new that you could go to the drugstore and buy whitening strips whereas prior to that you would have to go have it professionally done. I stayed loyal to the Crest brand and have only ever tried/used their whitening strips. They’ve managed to improve, and redesign their strips throughout the years, to offer a better solution. I don’t whiten then nearly as often as I used to because I’ve finally achieved a confident smile but if you have never used whitening strips its best advised to use as instructed on the box. I have heard and seen many other teeth whitening products but have not tried any of them but I am interested to know what other people think!
In addition to whitening my teeth I am also extremely cautious in avoiding foods that could stain my teeth. I stay away from drinks with caffeine and I NEVER drink coffee. In fact I’ve only ever had coffee once in my life but that’s another story for another day. Caffeine tends to leave a yellow stain on teeth, also any red acidic foods more specifically anything with tomato can also stain your teeth.
Every once in a while I do get the occasional comment on my smile or how white my teeth are and I give my self a subtle pat on the back because in my mind I put in the work for these teeth! But since I do get comments, I thought it would be best to share what it is that I have done and do daily in order to achieve an impressionable smile. If you are someone who is looking to improve their smile or gain that confidence to have shiny teeth (like) me than hopefully these few tips and tricks are helpful!