Improving your dental health and boosting your smile confidence is important in life, whatever age you’re at. Whether it’s addressing some problems with your teeth that you’ve had for a while, or getting your dental check-ups booked in regularly, there are plenty of ways to address any concerns when it comes to your teeth and oral care in general.

Here are five ways to improve your dental health and smile confidence this year.

Focus on consistent oral hygiene

Focus on consistent oral hygiene when it comes to improving your dental health and smile in general.

Ideally, you should be brushing your teeth two times a day or three times in order to clean your teeth after every meal. The longer any food or drink is sitting on your teeth, the more damage will occur as a result.

Focusing on consistent oral hygiene will also help to reduce the chances of dental damage that needs addressing. Don’t forget to lightly brush the gums and scrub the tongue to get rid of bacteria. A good floss and mouthwash will also help to address all the areas that your toothbrush can’t get to.

Limit sugary foods and drinks

Sugary foods and drinks are going to do damage to your teeth over time, so it’s good to be mindful of how much sugar you’re having every day.

One or two spoons of sugar or syrup in your morning coffee and fizzy drinks are all contributing to the damage sugar does to your teeth. Try to limit sugary foods and drinks where you can in order to avoid having to take an early visit to the dentist for broken or rotten teeth.

Attend the dentist regularly

While not everyone enjoys the dentist, it’s imperative that everyone gets their teeth checked out because oral health is tied to a lot of your general health and well-being.

By avoiding the dentist, you’re likely to let a lot of underlying problems go undetected, and that can cause permanent damage to your teeth if you’re not careful.

Consider making it an annual trip to your dentist so that you’re at least getting your teeth checked out professionally once a year. Your dentist will be able to recommend what’s best for your oral health, whether that’s braces to the best dental composites.

Quit smoking and avoid any bad habits

Smoking is one of those bad habits that can do a lot of damage to your teeth over time. From yellowing the teeth to causing tooth decay. If you’re smoking, then it might be something that you should consider either quitting or significantly reducing, where possible, for the health of your teeth.

Other bad habits, like drinking too much coffee, can also cause damage to your teeth.

Don’t let problems get worse

Finally, don’t let your problems get worse. Even if you’re a few weeks post-dentist checkup. If there’s an issue that you’ve noticed, especially where it’s causing pain or doesn’t look right, get it checked quickly.

These tips will ensure that your dental health improves and your confidence improves.