Top 10 tips for white teeth

Follow these top 10 tips for white teeth

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1.    Limit red wine
In red wine is a combination of dyes and acids that in the short term can stain your saliva, coating your teeth with a red stain. In the long term it can also damage the enamel on your teeth. To combat this, brush your teeth or have a glass of water if you’ve been enjoying a glass or two.

2.    Limit smoking
Smoking not only causes bad breath but teeth can become permanently stained if you smoke for many years, as the stains spread into tiny cracks in the tooth enamel. It can also lead to gum disease, tooth loss and - in extreme cases - mouth cancer. Not pretty.

3.    Limit tea and coffee
Tea and coffee contain tannic acid that stains the teeth, with black tea and coffee doing the worst damage. It’s best to stick to green tea, white tea or herbal teas instead.

4.    Use a mouth wash
Make sure to use a mouthwash after every meal to wash away bacteria. Colgate Plax Whitening mouthwash for example not only helps prevent germs, but also claims to prevent teeth stains by up to 48 per cent.

 

5.    Brush teeth after every meal
Use a toothbrush an hour after eating to give the saliva in your mouth a chance to neutralise the acid in your food. Don’t brush your teeth straight after eating as it can damage your teeth – especially if the food contained acid, such as fizzy drinks and fruit.

6.    Floss every day
Though it doesn’t actually lighten your teeth, floss makes them look whiter by removing the particles between them - it can it help prevent against gum disease too.

7.    Wear coral or red lipstick
Lipsticks with blue tones, such as MAC’s Ruby Woo, enhance the natural whiteness of your teeth, while corals make them appear whiter too. Maybelline Color Sensational in Coral Crush is recommended by beauty bloggers as being one of the best whitening lipsticks. If you have yellow teeth, though, avoid hot pink, which contrasts badly.

8.    Change your toothbrush every three months
Your toothbrush becomes worn out after a few months and it’s not as effective at removing plaque from teeth and gums. It also becomes a breeding ground for germs, fungus and bacteria. Nice…

9.    Avoid dark coloured foods after having teeth whitening treatment
Certain foods and drinks, including coffee, tea, coke, vinegar and ketchup can stain your teeth, which reverses the treatment you’ve just had. Try and avoid foods that would stain your clothes as they’re likely to stain your teeth too.

10.    Eat crunchy foods
Foods such as apples, celery and carrots have a natural abrasiveness that can help remove stains from the teeth – and don’t harm your enamel doing so.

For more information on professional teeth whitening, visit the LoveLite website.

Dont forget to tell us what you think by commenting below. 

 source: Yahoo health

Soothe serious sunburn - treatment options

Extremely severe sunburn is agony. If it’s not serious enough for A&E but bad enough to stop you sleeping, here are some ways to soothe the stinging

Slap on the suncream, sunburn's no funKeep covered

The last thing you need when you’re burnt is to burn more, so keep out of the sun where possible and when you are out cover up in long-sleeves and trousers. Try linen, which is light enough to stop you overheating but gives you protection from the sun’s rays.

Cool it down

As with any burn, sunburnt skin feels hot to the touch and cooling it down is important to relieve the pain. You can buy over-the-counter cooling compresses, or make your own with a mixture of cold water and milk. Soak a clean, very soft cloth and press it onto the area every 15 minutes. You can also bath or shower in lukewarm water or try pouring this over the area.

Rehydrate
As well as putting water on the burn topically, make sure you’re keeping your skin hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Don’t drink alcohol as this will dehydrate you and dry out your skin even more.

Once you’ve cooled the area, there are plenty of after-sun balms and lotions that can help soothe the pain and moisturise the skin. Pure aloe vera or gels containing it work well, as does calamine lotion, which can help with itching.

Treatments

If it’s really painful, try oral painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. You can also try a one per cent hydrocortisone cream, which is sometimes used for eczema and dry skin. Rubbing this directly onto the sunburn can calm irritation and inflammation. This should not be used on children under the age of two, on the face or genitals or if you broken the skin. A natural alternative would be honey, specifically manuka honey, which is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial and is thought to help the skin regrow cells.

When to go to A&E

Very serious burns may need emergency medical treatment. If it’s a baby or child, it’s best to get them checked out as their skin is far more delicate than ours. On adults, if the skin has blistered or you feel dizzy, nauseous or have a fever, head straight to A&E

Source: yahoo lifestyle

Are you stressed? Warning signs and symptoms

Stress is a common side effect of our busy lifestyles. There’s no stigma in admitting you’re feeling stressed out, but stress is a serious medical condition that can lead to both mental and physical symptoms and ill health, so don’t ignore these signs:

 

Mentally you might feel:

• Depressed
• Worried or anxious
• Angry and bad-tempered
• Always hungry, or having no appetite
• Weepy
• Constantly tired
• Sleepless or tired
• Unable to concentrate

Physical symptoms include:

• Chest pains
• Cramps and achiness
• Twitches or pins and needles
• Problems in bed including a lowered sex drive or erectile dysfunction
• Digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhoea
• Dizziness or fainting
• Feeling antsy or restless
• Feeling breathless
• Feeling nervous, which might manifest in behaviour such as nail biting

In particularly stressful situations you may notice your heart rate rising and increased sweating. Often your blood pressure will climb too. Over a prolonged period of time, this can lead to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

You don’t need to tick all the boxes to be stressed; just one or two of the symptoms could be your body trying to tell you something.

What does stress do to your body?

Stress is a coping mechanism that causes your body to release hormones to help you cope with difficult situations. These include cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Though this may help you cope in the short term, these hormones are what cause many of your symptoms.

If you’re stressed over a period of time this can make you more susceptible to illness as it can affect your immune system. The unbalanced hormones may also change the way your body processes sugars in your food and can lead to weight gain – which may make you even more stressed.

What can you do?

There are a number of ways to deal with stress, including keeping a stress journal and taking regular exercise. If you are unable to bring down your stress levels yourself, speak to your GP about management techniques.

There are medications for stress but long-term tranquiliser prescriptions aren’t recommended as they treat the symptoms rather than the cause.

Source -  Yahoo lifestyle