Pearly Whites

    From the time your first tooth poked its way through your tender gums, those pearly whites have played an enormous role in your life. Not only do the 32 nuggets in your mouth help you talk and chew, they can make or break your appearance.

    Although aesthetics are important, however, even more important is tooth and gum health. In the last few years, researchers have uncovered a link between periodontal (gum) disease and increased risk of heart disease. One study found that men with periodontitis had a whopping 72 percent greater risk of developing coronary disease than those with healthy gums. 

    To keep your choppers in tip-top shape (heck, just to keep them in the first place), we've come up with the following 22 tips that go far beyond just brushing and flossing. 

    1. Go on a white-teeth diet. What goes in, shows up on your teeth. So if you're quaffing red wine and black tea, or smoking cigarettes or cigars, expect the results to show up as not-so-pearly whites. Other culprits to blame for dingy teeth include colas, gravies, and dark juices. Bottom line: If it's dark before you put it in your mouth, it will probably stain your teeth. So step one: Brush your teeth immediately after eating or drinking foods that stain teeth. Step two: Regularly use a good bleaching agent, either over-the-counter or in the dentist's office. Step three: Be conscious of the foods and drink in your diet that can stain your teeth, and eat only when a toothbrush is around. If there isn't one, eat an apple for dessert -- it will provide some teeth-cleaning action. 

    2. Hum while you brush. The ideal amount of time to brush in order to get all the bacteria-packed plaque out is at least two minutes, British researchers found. Today you can actually purchase a song called "The Brush Along Song," which runs exactly 2 1/2 minutes, to accompany your brushing.  It's targeted toward kids, but so what? Isn't there a kid within all of us? Otherwise, keep a timer in the bathroom and set it for two minutes. 
    3. Grip your toothbrush like a pencil. Does your toothbrush look like it just cleaned an SUV? If so, you're probably brushing too hard. Contrary to what some scrub-happy people think, brushing with force is not the best way to remove plaque. According to Beverly Hills dentist Harold Katz, D.D.S., the best way to brush is by placing your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against your gums and gently moving it in a circular motion, rather than a back-and-forth motion. Grip the toothbrush like a pencil so you won't scrub too hard. 

    4. Drink a cup of tea every day. Flavonoids and other tea ingredients seem to prevent harmful bacteria from sticking to teeth, and also block production of a type of sugar that contributes to cavities. Tea also contains high amounts of fluoride. 

    5. Chuck your toothbrush or change the head of your electric toothbrush at least every two to three months. Otherwise, you're just transferring bacteria to your mouth.

    珍珠白

    自從你的第一顆牙齒戳開你幼嫩的牙齦之時，這些珍珠白就在你的生活中發揮巨大的作用。你口中的這 32 個硬東西不僅幫助你說話和咀嚼，而且可以造就或者破壞你的容貌。
  
    雖然美學是重要的，但是，更為重要的是牙齒和牙齦的健康。在過去幾年里，研究人員已經發現牙周（牙齦）疾病與增加的心臟病風險之間的關聯。一項研究發現，患牙周炎的男性比具有健康牙齦的男性，有高達 72％ 的更大風險發生冠狀動脈疾病。 

    為了讓你的切刀保持最佳的狀態（嘿，只是想讓它們擺在首位），我們提出了下面 22 個提示，遠遠超出了僅僅刷牙和使用牙線。 

    1.繼續‘白齒’飲食習慣。什么東西會進入你的牙齒或者在你的牙齒上顯示出來。如果你痛飲紅葡萄酒和紅茶，或者抽煙抽雪茄，那么預料其結果就會顯示出你的牙齒沒有那么珠光白。咎取暗黑色牙齒的其它罪魁禍首包括可樂、肉湯和深色果汁。底線是：如果這樣東西在放進你的口中之前是深色的，它就可能污染你的牙齒。因此，步驟一：在食用或者飲用污染牙齒的食品之后立即刷牙。步驟二：定期使用良好的漂白劑，無論是在柜臺上或者在牙醫的診室。第三步：對你的飲食中可能污染牙齒的食品和飲料保持自覺，只在附近有牙刷時才吃這些東西。如果沒有牙刷的話，可以吃一個作為甜點的蘋果——它會提供一些清潔牙齒的作用。 

    2. 刷牙時哼哼。英國研究人員發現，為了去掉所有充滿細菌的斑塊，刷牙的理想時間至少要兩分鐘。今天，你其實可以購買一首叫作“伴隨歌曲刷牙”的歌曲，它正好伴隨你刷牙演唱 2 1/2 分鐘。

    它是以孩子為目標的，但是那又怎樣呢？在我們所有人之中不是有一個孩子嗎？不然的話，就在衛生間里保留一個定時器，并且設定它為兩分鐘。 

    3.像拿鉛筆那樣握住你的牙刷。請問你的牙刷是否看起來像是正在清洗一輛 SUV（運動型多功能車）那樣？如果是的話，你可能太用力了。相反，有些高興擦洗的人認為，用力刷牙并不是去除斑塊的最好方法。根據比佛利山莊牙醫 D.D.S.哈羅德 卡茲的說法，最好的刷牙方法是把你的牙刷以 45 度的角度放到你的牙齦上，并且以圓周運動輕輕移動它，而不是前后運動。像拿鉛筆那樣握住你的牙刷，因此你不致太用力刷洗。 

    4.每天喝一杯茶。類黃酮化合物和其它茶葉成分似乎可以防止有害的細菌粘附到牙齒上，并且也阻止促進蛀牙的糖類的產生。茶還含有大量的氟化物。 

    5.至少每兩至三個月就扔掉你的牙刷或者更換你的電動牙刷的刷頭。否則，你就是在把細菌往你的嘴里送。