Unless you have been able to drink from the fountain of youth, it's likely you will experience some signs of aging.  As far as your teeth go, receding gums and missing teeth are two signs you are no longer a spring chicken.  Luckily, there are steps to take to help your smile look more youthful.

Prevent Wear and Tear

Although teeth are pretty tough, over time your smile can be worn down.  Here are a few tips to put a little less mileage on your teeth:

Avoid the hard stuff:  Don't chew ice and other extremely hard foods.  These can cause cracks and other damage to your teeth.  In addition, don't use your teeth as tools.  In other words, avoid taking off bottle tops with your teeth. 

Take steps to stop bruxism:  Bruxism is a condition where you grind, gnash, or clench your teeth.  Small plastic mouth-guards, known as occlusal splints, are an effective solution for preventing premature wear and reducing jaw muscle movement.  

Prevent enamel erosion:  Acids eat away at your enamel.  For this reason, it's a good idea to avoid certain foods, like sweetened carbonated beverages, which increase the amount of acid in your mouth. Gummy candies are another no-no.  After all, since gummies stick to your teeth, the sugar and acids stay on your teeth longer.

Make Your Smile Whiter

Every 10 years, your teeth can become up to 1 to 2 shades darker.  A whiter smile can take years off of your appearance.  Here are a few ways to have a brighter smile:

Avoid foods that stain:  You've probably heard that red wine, coffee, and tea stain your teeth.  However, do you know why?  Both cola and coffee contain chromogens or highly-pigmented compounds that cling to your teeth's enamel. Furthermore, tea contains tannin, an acidic substance found in plants that promotes stains.  Tannins encourage chromogens to stick to the enamel. Since wine contains both chromogens and tannins, it is one of the worst teeth staining culprits.  To minimize staining, you can use a straw to consume one of these beverages.  

Whiten and brighten:  If you're concerned with discoloration or stains on your teeth, you can talk to a professional about teeth whitening.  For a more natural approach, you may want to try coconut oil pulling where you swish a tablespoon of coconut oil around in your mouth for 5 to 20 minutes.  The ancient practice reduces bacteria and plaque in your mouth.

Mind the Gap

A full mouth of teeth stimulates the alveolar bone, which surrounds your teeth.  This stimulation causes the bone to remodel and rebuild continually.  On the other hand, when you are missing teeth, this can cause your alveolar bone to lose volume and decrease in both width and height.  As a result,  your face can sag and look older.  Luckily, dental implants, replacement tooth roots, can help restore structure to your face.  Dental implants fuse with your bone and therefore, become a permanent part of your smile.  

These tips are a great way to keep your smile from aging, that is, until you are able to find the fountain of youth.  Visit http://www.couchmandental.com for more information.