MAY 2019 |TheAustralianWomen’s Weekly 127
Beauty
GETTY IMAGES.
A
re youstartingtheday
witha cleansingmugof
hotwaterandlemon?You
maybedoingyourteeth
a disservice.“Acidicfoods
anddrinks,includingsparklingwater,
slowlywearawayyourenamel,
increasingyellownessandsensitivity,”
explainsDrNicoleKaplan,Specialist
OrthodontistandownerofOrthocare
Orthodontics,Sydney.
It’soneofmanymythsabout
healthandhappyteethbecause,as
thewellnessmovementgrows,oralcare
is changingtoo.GwynethPaltrow
confessedtooilpulling– “swishing
coconutoilaroundin yourmouthfor
20 minutesandit’ssupposedtobe
greatfororalhealth”– andit is,but
it’snottruethatit willwhitenyour
teeth.Meanwhile,thecleaningpower
ofcharcoalhasgonemainstream,
croppingupin Colgatetoothpaste,
andwecanbuy 99 percentplant-
madetoothbrushesbyEcostore.
AsforinfamousHollywoodteeth,
veneers are now more natural-lookingBlack to basics
If youwanttotrycharcoal,
goeasy– scrubbingit offcan
damageenamelandgums.
Here’severythingelseyou
needtoknowforhappy teeth.- EcostoreWhiteningToothpaste,$6.99,atchemistwarehouse.com.au
2.TheHumbleCo.BambooToothbrush,$6.45,atthecleancollective.com - GrantsNaturalMouthwash,$13.50,atgrantsofaustralia.com.au
4.NoosaBasicsBambooCharcoalDentalFloss,$12.95,atnoosabasics.com
5.EcostoreBlueToothbrush,$5.99,atchemistwarehouse.com.au,
withHiSmile Toothpaste, $29.99, at hismileteeth.com
andkinderonteeth.“Theyarestill
verypopularbecauseit’sharderto
whitenourteethasweage[thinning
enamelallowsthedarkerinnertooth
toshow]andveneersneverchange
co lour,evenwithendlesscoffeeandred
wine,”sayscosmeticdentistDrGamer
Verdian,ofDentalLoungeSydney.
“Thenewtypeis ultra-thin,
requiringlittleornotoothprep[filing].
However,tocreategreatveneersthat
last15-20years,it takeslotsof
technicalandaestheticmicro-
decisionsthatalladdup,soyoudo
needa gooddentist.Somehavenew
3Dface-scanningtechnologytosee
howveneerswilllookonyoubefore
youbegin,oryoucanasktosee
photos of previous work.”→Toothpaste
Moreandmoretubesarelabelled
flouride-freeandSLS(sodium
laurylsulfate)-free,yetthere’s
nocauseforalarm,according
toDrPeterAlldritt,anAdelaide
dentistandconsultanttothe
OralHealthCommitteeatthe
AustralianDentalAssociation.
“Sodiumlaurylsulfate,which
createsbubbles,is safe,though
somemaybesensitivetoit,”he
says.“Amassivereviewfound
flourideis alsosafe.Weeven
remindpeoplenottorinse
withwaterafterspittingout
toothpastebecauseyouwant
thatflouridetoremainonyour
teeth and prevent cavities.”Toothbrush
Thebesttoothbrushis
theonethatworksbest
foryou.“Itcanbemanual
orpoweredaslongasit’s
soft.Peoplewitharthritis,
forexample,mightfind
anoscillatingtoothbrush
helpsgeta morethorough
clean,”saysDrAlldritt.Mouthwash
“Noteverybodyneedsone
socheckwithyourdentist.
Thosepronetocavities
maybenefitfroma
mouthwashwithfluoride,”
saysDrAlldritt.“Those
withgingivitismaybenefit
fromanantibacterial
mouthwash;however,
chlorhexidinecanstain
teethsotheycanonly
beusedfor1-2 weeks.”Floss
Alarmswereraisedwhen
someflosseswerelinked
withchemicalsknownas
PFASin theblood.“The
AmericanDentalAssociation
sayscurrentlythere’sno
causeforconcern,”says
DrAlldritt.“However,
youcanswitchto
uncoatedfloss
orinterdental
brusheswhich
aremore
effectivewith
receding gums.”12345