Stretch the corners of your mouth outward, keeping your lips closed. Hold that pose for 10 seconds, then release it. Repeat the first stretch, but part your lips just enough to expose the line where your top row of teeth meets the bottom row of teeth. Hold that pose for 10 seconds, then release it. Stretch the corners of your mouth even farther outward until your lips part enough to expose roughly half of your teeth. Hold that pose for 10 seconds, then release it. Stretch the corners of your mouth as wide as you can, exposing all of your teeth. Hold that pose for 10 seconds, then release it. Practice these stretches in front of a mirror until you find a smile you’re comfortable with, and continue to exercise your facial muscles until you have total control over your smile.
Purse your lips, making them as big as possible while pulling in your cheeks. While keeping your lips pursed, try to simultaneously stretch the corners of your mouth outward, into a smile. Hold that pose just long enough that your facial muscles begin to feel fatigued. Then release it. Do not practice this exercise more than once a day, as excessive stretching may cause muscle strain. Over time, this stretch should help your smile look more natural and more radiant.
Stretch the corners of your mouth outward as far as possible while keeping your lips closed. While holding that pose, try to wiggle your nose until you feel your cheek muscles begin to strain. Hold that pose for five seconds, then release. Repeat this exercise up to 10 times daily to develop a greater command over your facial muscles.
Stand or sit in front of a mirror. Smile until you notice your eyes narrow slightly. Try to hold this pose and study the way your facial muscles stretch in this position. Practice smiling with your eyes until you’re able to achieve this expression on command.
Practice in front of a mirror or camera. Continue looking at Duchenne smiles and then practicing your own until you’re able to smile with your eyes on command.
Look for floss threaders at your local pharmacy or grocery store. If you cannot find pieces of floss with their own threaders, you can also buy a threader that can be used with ordinary dental floss to accomplish the same task. For this type of threader, use about 12 inches of dental floss to ensure that you can adequately feed the floss through your teeth. There are also individual strands of floss that are stiffer and can be used along with braces to facilitate the cleaning. Work the floss in a c-shape. As you floss, try to form a c-shape against each tooth. Then work the floss up and down, scraping the sides of your teeth from every angle. This will help maximize the area covered by the dental floss. Floss after every meal to help keep a clean, bright smile.
In addition to your usual brushing routine, it’s important to remember to brush around each and every part of your braces. [5] X Research source Consider using an interproximal brush. It’s a special brush built for people with braces that can easily slip underneath the wire of the braces. [6] X Research source
Use the cap of the mouthwash bottle to pour out a “serving” of mouthwash. Pour the mouthwash into your mouth, but do not swallow. Rinse vigorously, focusing on each quadrant of your mouth. [8] X Research source If at all possible, try to avoid rinsing with water immediately after rinsing with mouthwash. Mouthwash will continue to kill bacteria in your mouth after you’ve finished rinsing with it, and rinsing with water too soon after you’ve used mouthwash may disrupt this process. [9] X Research source
