Brits Still Neglecting Their Teeth - Dental Care Articles

Brits Still Neglecting Their Teeth
July 31, 2008
Keep the Doctor Away

Nearly half of Brits are in grave danger of having teeth that are 'older' than they are, due to poor diets and bad dental habits, new research shows.

The nation's biggest ageing fear is the prospect of having to wear dentures, according to findings by Orbit Complete.

Brits worry that one of the worst signs of being ÏoldÓ is stained, crooked and rotting teeth. Yet despite being scared of ending up having to glue their teeth in each day, Brits are not helping themselves, with over half of us confessing to not knowing how to clean our teeth correctly and a third never bothering to floss.

And Brits are also largely unaware of several other risk factors that could be rotting their teeth.

For example, fruit smoothies and juices might be a great way to help you get your 5-a-day, but whether the 61% of Brits that drink them regularly are aware that they have a high acid content that is harmful to their teeth, is doubtful. Coffee, white wine and red wine, also guzzled by Brits on a regular basis, are also adding on the years by eroding and discolouring their teeth, according to the British Dental Health Foundation.

The survey also found that it's the Welsh who most often neglect their teeth, with one in five scoring the worst possible results in the dental test due to lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking fizzy drinks. But it's the Scots who seem to be the least bothered about their dental health routine. Southerners are most likely to look after their teeth, and the Northern Irish spend the most time preening their pearly whites - almost one in ten have bleached their own teeth at home with over-the-counter whitening kits.

ÏYour smile can give away so much about your age and in my profession I find that so many people want to do something about it to look younger,Ó says 10 Years Younger TV presenter Nicky Hambleton-Jones. ÏCosmetic dentistry can be pricy, so taking preventative steps to keep your teeth in good shape is really worthwhile and much kinder to the bank balance!"