保持皓齒如玉的六個生活小貼士

Your 32 teeth not only help you to talk and chew, they can make or break your appearance. Read on to find out what you can do to keep your pearly whites sparkling.
你的32顆牙齒不但幫助你講話和嚼東西，還能夠影響你的容貌：讓你姿色倍增或容貌盡毀。往下讀，看看爲了保持自己牙齒珍珠般的閃亮潔白，能做些什麼？

From: 5-Minute Health Boosters
1. Go On a White-Teeth Diet
What goes into your mouth shows up on your teeth. So if you're drinking a lot of red wine or black tea, or smoking cigarettes, expect the results to show up as not-so-pearly whites. Other culprits include colas, gravies and dark juices. The bottom line: if it's dark before you put it in your mouth, it will probably stain your teeth. Step one: brush your teeth immediately after having foods that stain. Step two: regularly use a good bleaching agent from your dentist. Step three: be conscious of tooth-staining foods and drinks, and have them only when a toothbrush is around. If not, have an apple for dessert.

1. 吃美白牙齒的食物
你吃到口裏的東西最終會反映到你的牙齒上。如果你一直喝大量的紅酒、紅茶，或吸大量的香菸，就別期望牙齒會如珍珠般潔白。其它的罪魁禍首包括：可樂類飲料、濃滷汁和深色果汁。飲食底線：要清楚地知道，入口之前，食物如果是深顏色的，就可能把你的牙齒染上顏色。步驟一：吃了這種食物後立即刷牙。步驟二：定期地使用牙醫推薦的好的漂白劑。步驟三：要小心污染牙齒的食物和飲料，只有牙刷在身邊時才享用這些食物。如果沒有，就用蘋果作爲餐後甜點吧。

2. Hum While Brushing Your Teeth

The ideal amount of time to brush to get all the bacteria-packed plaque out is at least two minutes. Use your watch or keep a timer in the bathroom and set it for 2 minutes. Or find a tune that lasts about two minutes and hum it to the end.

2. 刷牙時哼首歌吧
要把滿是細菌的牙斑完全刷乾淨，理想的時間長度爲至少2分鐘。用手錶計時或者在衛生間裏放一個計時器，定時2分鐘。或者找一支兩分鐘長度左右的歌曲，刷牙時把它哼完。

3. Grip Your Toothbrush Like a Pencil

Does your toothbrush look as if it's been used to clean the car? 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. The best way is to place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against your gums and gently move 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.

3. 像拿鉛筆一樣握着牙刷
你的牙刷是不是看上去像用它清洗過一輛汽車一樣？如果是，你可能刷得太用力了。相反，那些習慣於“歡樂擦洗”的醫務工作者們認爲，用力刷牙並不是除去牙斑最好的方法。最好的方法是放置牙刷與牙齦成45度角，並讓牙刷輕輕地以圓周運動移動，而不是前後移動。像拿鉛筆一樣握着牙刷，這樣你就不會刷得太厲害了。

4. Drink a Cup of Tea Every Day

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

4. 每天一杯茶
茶葉裏的黃酮類物質和其它成分似乎可以阻止有害細菌附着在牙齒上，還可以阻止引起蛀牙的糖類物質的產生。茶葉也含有大量堅固牙齒的氟化物。

5. Replace Your Toothbrush Regularly

Throw away 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.

5. 定期更換牙刷
至少每2到3個月就要扔掉你的舊牙刷或者更換電動牙刷的刷頭。否則的話，你就是把細菌往口裏送。

6. Use Alcohol-Free Mouthwash

Most over-the-counter mouthwashes have too much alcohol, which can dry out the tissues in your mouth, making them more susceptible to bacteria. Some studies even suggest a link between mouthwashes containing alcohol to and an increased risk of oral cancer. To be safe, be a teetotaller when it comes to choosing a mouthwash.

6. 使用無酒精漱口水
絕大多數櫃檯上出售的漱口水，都含有太多的酒精，它們會吸乾你口內組織的水分，使用它們更易受到細菌的侵害。一些研究甚至表明，漱口水內包含的酒精和口腔癌發病風險的增加有一定的聯繫。爲了安全，在選擇漱口水時，做一名徹頭徹尾的禁酒者吧。