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It’s National Smile Month again, and this means that dentists, dental practices and dental hygienists all over the country will be opening their doors to patients in order to increase the dental health of the country. This practice, which was developed 40 years ago, is held annually and has contributed greatly to the increased dental health of the British citizens. However, there is still a long way to go: some 20% of the British population of 65 and older have no teeth and almost one third of British children have been to an emergency dentist before they reach the age of 10. The overwhelming majority of adults will have undergone a root canal treatment before the age of 45, and a full 10% of British adults are ashamed of the condition of their teeth.
National Smile Month in developing dental hygiene
In order to fix the then tragic condition of oral health in Britain, the National Smile Month programme was launched. Dentists are asked to participate by giving free screenings, talks and check-ups and consultations to patients. There are many sweepstakes and other discounts during this month, and most dentistries offer free services and heavily discounted offers in June in order to improve the nation’s dental health. The effectiveness of this program can be measured by how much the statistics have improved: from 1 in every 4 to 1 in 20 middle aged person has all their teeth missing, and the rates of periodontitis have seriously dropped as well.
The message that the dentists behind National Smile Month have is very clear this year:
Brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste is very important, and you should do it before going to sleep and at the very least one more time during the day
Not only sugary foods, but most especially sugary drinks are the cause of most tooth decay, especially in children. These drinks should be avoided
Check-up appointments are essential to your oral health, and you should go to them with the frequency that your dentist recommends.
Check with your dentist and see what he can do to improve your oral health with National Smile Month. Now is the best time to get any treatment you have been putting off, and it is a great time to spend a little time on your dental health, to prevent serious issues from forming.
