Over the last number of years, we have posted articles where it’s fair to say the UK didn’t compare to other nations when it came to looking after our dental health. However, it looks like things are changing, based on one of the largest surveys ever carried out, with over 15,000 participants in 15 different countries.

It’s hardly any surprise that the worst habit listed for dental health was smoking, with Germany and Spain being the biggest offenders. This was closely followed by drinking tea, coffee and fizzy drinks which can both harm and discolour your teeth.

Why does the UK rank so highly in this survey?

There were a number of reasons for us to be cheerful and flash our smiles, the most obvious being that we ranked highest for brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste. 47% of us make sure we never miss this routine, and you will have seen numerous posts by Annette or Maryam outlining the importance of ensuring you brush morning and night for at least two minutes each time. It’s worth pointing out that you should brush at least 30 minutes before or after having breakfast. The other pieces of advice we recommend are cleaning between your teeth with either TePe brushes or floss (Annette or Maryam will advise you which product is best for you when you come for your next hygiene appointment) and also use a tongue scraper if you feel you may be experiencing bad breath.

One of the other reasons we suspect that dental health is improving is the frequency with which people are attending their dental appointments, and here in the UK even through Covid we ranked second best in the world for attending regularly. It goes without saying that the sooner an issue is detected, should that be gum disease or decay, the better chance we have of treating the issue without the need to place a filling/fit a crown or in the worst scenario extract the tooth.

If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed in this article, please call Laune on 020 7487 5221 to book a dental health check or hygiene appointment.