An attractive and lovely smile can be a very great asset. Nothing can be more upsetting than discolored teeth and a bad breath.

Always use a mouth wash after meals, and especially if you've just had a spicy meal. Listerine is a great refresher of foul breath. Bad breath can also be a sign of dental trouble or stomach disorder. Brush your teeth regularly at least twice a day. Once before sleeping at night and once again when you get up in the morning. Use a firm toothbrush of medium hardness. The best way of brushing your teeth is by moving your brush up and down, not side to side.

This helps dislodge food particles hiding in the little crevices between the teeth. Message your gums to stimulate circulation.

Visit a doctor regularly — at least once every six months. The doctor will help you to keep a check on plaque and tartar formation as well as tooth cavities. Plaque builds up to provide a hard crusting over the enamel surface of the tooth. Tartar is formed by calcium deposits forming behind and between the teeth. Both tartar and plaque are extremely harmful and can lead to painful and unnecessary gum disorder.

Rose water cleans the mouth and acts as a mouth wash.

* For refreshing your mouth, dilute a few drops of peppermint spirit in half a cup of water and gargle with it.

* To make teeth sparkle bright, mix one teaspoon of table salt with one teaspoon of soda bicarb, and brush with this mixture.

* To keep teeth healthy and strong, take calcium tablets occasionally. Always end your meal with some raw and crunchy food or vegetable. This ensures that sticky deposits are removed from the back surfaces of the teeth. Sweets, chocolate?., squashes — all these are bad for the teeth.

Wherever possible, replace them with natural sweets or unsweetened fruit juices.

Strong tea or coffee and, cigarette smoking all discolor teeth.

The twig of a neem tree makes a natural freshener of mouth and cleanser of teeth.

If your teeth are crooked or your mouth overcrowded, make sure your toothbrush has. rounded bristles. Rounded bristles prevent wounding and bleeding of gums as well as make your brushing more effective.