Students & Oral Health: Keeping your Smile Bright and Healthy

Matt | August 25, 2019

For many of us, university is our first real hint at independence and learning how to take care of ourselves without our parent’s watchful eye. From cooking and feeding ourselves, to working to cover bills and tuition, we learn how to handle our personal responsibilities. Of course, this includes taking care of our bodies and health, and brushing our teeth is an important aspect that is often downgraded.

So how do you take care of your smile and keep your mouth healthy, your teeth bright and your breath fresh? Take a look at this infographic to learn more about your oral health!

Oral health in the UK has improved radically over the past century. However, we’re still damaging it with one basic staple of our everyday meals: sugar. Almost all food we eat contains sugar, so today’s children (and even you) are eating way past the recommended daily intake.

Sugar attacks our teeth and has serious implications on our body and smile in the future. As the image below shows, sugar produces acids in the mouth, drawing out mineral from the teeth. Our teeth need these minerals to stay healthy and strong, and we’re effectively ridding our teeth of them.

With today’s UK diet, a lot of the sugar we’re eating is “hidden sugar”. From cereal to bread and even tomato sauce, we’re consuming high amounts of sugar without even realizing it. Make better choices on what to eat and improve your oral hygiene, and voilà, you’ll be on a far healthier path.

Another possible solution to improve your oral health is switching to an electric toothbrush. Studies show that it helps decrease plaque by 21% and gingivitis by 11%. It’s a small change with a lot of impact.

Teeth go through a process of decay and the earlier they are treated, the higher the chances of helping the tooth recover or at least decrease the damage. If left untreated, it can lead to complete tooth loss.

Fortunately, thanks to improvements in dental hygiene education across the UK, more than 50% of dental visits are actually for preventative measures like general check-ups, rather than repair work. You can even see a large improvement in the past 10-15 years.

Surprisingly, oral health has a huge impact on the rest of our body, not just our smile. The mouth is the “gateway” to our body, so it has a domino effect if any damage occurs to it. Bacteria entering our mouth can then enter our bloodstream and pose serious health risks. People with fewer teeth have a staggering 81% higher risk of dementia. It can even be the cause of heart disease and strokes.

We’ve come a long way in the UK when it comes to oral health and advances keep coming.

Currently, the average British adult spends £200 per year on dental and oral care products, with an average spend of £16.34. How much is spent varies by city, with London residents spending the most. Surprisingly, men spend one third more than women!

All in all, oral health depends mostly on three factors:

Daily care – brushing your teeth, flossing, and using a proper toothbrush
Food consumption – less sugar, better oral health
Preventative and restorative treatments by your dentist

Be responsible with your oral health and have a beautiful smile and healthy body. If you’re interested in learning more, take a look at the full infographic here: