If you want a healthy smile (and who among us doesn’t?) you can’t just sit back and wait for it to happen. Just like improving any aspect of your body, you have to work for it. Fortunately, some changes are relatively straightforward. To get a head start on keeping your pearly whites looking their best, simply follow these dos and don’ts.

3 Dos and Don’ts For Your Smile

Do Brush After Eating

How many times have you gotten up in the morning, brushed your teeth, and then made breakfast? Switch up that order of operations so that you are removing the last few crumbs of your cereal and bagel before you go out the door.

Don’t Put Highly Acidic Foods and Drinks in Your Mouth

Acid content in foods can take a toll on teeth. That’s why sugary and acidic drinks, ranging from coffee to soda, should be kept on reserve for when you need them. Water is your friend!

Do Floss

It’s not just something your dentist tells you to do. Flossing is important, and you need to get in the habit of it.

Don’t Smoke

It seems obvious, but filling your mouth with a chemical smoke on a regular basis is quite bad for your overall oral health. And it can do all sorts of nasty things to your smile.

Do Get A New Toothbrush

Toothbrushes, especially when you use them twice a day, wear down. Generally you should get a new one about as often as you change your oil; once every three months, or every 3,000 miles.

Don’t Chew Anything That Isn’t Food

Whether you put a pencil in your mouth when you’re thinking, or you need gum to get through the work day, anything that isn’t food is doing damage to your teeth. And if you have to have gum, go sugarless.