Visit Your Dentist Day 2019 - January 14th

On the 14th January we will be celebrating the first Visit Your Dentist Day, in an attempt to increase the chances of people booking a dental check-up and looking after their oral health.

We ran a survey out throughout the latter months of 2018 in order to find out how often Brits were visiting their dentist and hygienist, with some slightly unpleasant results. For a start, 71% admitted to not going to the dentists in the past 12 months, quite an alarmingly high figure!

Most dentists will state that you should visit every 6 months, while the NHS states it can be between 3 months and 2 years depending on oralcare and health. The main issue with going such a long period without visiting is we might not be aware of what is going on underneath and by the time we feel pain, it could be too late and permanent damage may have been caused. Considering how early it can be stopped and a solution can be found, it will save you money and pain if you visit your dentist on a more regular basis than only once the tooth hurts.

Bleeding gums is one of the first telltale signs of gingivitis, however 64% of respondents said they have occasional bleeding when they brush their teeth. Bleeding gums might not directly mean gingivitis, it could be periodontitis, pregnancy, you're brushing too hard, an injury in the mouth or an inflammation, but all should be carefully considered and assessed.

A scarily high 89% said they didn't floss on a regular basis, which is one of the easiest and most direct ways you can improve your oral health, especially since the launch of water flossers. The plaque build-up in the mouth can be heavily prevented through flossing regularly, so this should be on everyone's agenda.

We have also spoken in the past about the push for people to create unnatural diastema's through surgical procedures, which is quite honestly horrifying.

So make 2019 the year where you get your dental health on target. Remember to brush twice a day and start FLOSSING, something we all seem to dread.