How National Smile Month helps you to look after your smile!

OK, so National Smile Month is a bit of a misnomer in itself – the nationwide event is actually held over the span of two months, May and June. It officially began last Friday on the 15th of May, and will run for four weeks until the 15th of June. As you can imagine, we’re well on board with this movement here at AP Smilecare – we’ve even got our own smile makeover treatment – so if you’re not familiar with what it involves, allow us to enlighten you!

What is National Smile Month?

Organised by the Oral Health Foundation, it’s the largest and longest-running UK campaign to promote oral health of millions of people throughout the UK. Essentially, one of the main underlying principles is to help people achieve excellent physical and mental wellbeing by improving our oral health. A little bit of history behind the event; it’s been running for decades, having been first launched all the way back in 1979. Back then it was National Smile Week – so obviously in the years since, it’s had a big expansion! Nowadays, it attracts thousands of event co-ordinators and reaches millions of people across the country.

happy healthy people

National Smile Month particularly aims to help improve the oral habits of children, who are amongst the most vulnerable to the effects of gum disease and tooth decay. That’s why it encourages dental health professionals, schools, pharmacies, community groups, colleges and workplaces to all be more active in recognising and promoting habits that help us to achieve excellent oral health. National Smile Month inspires local events, classes and campaigns that help us to educate, motivate and communicate positive messages about oral health, improving the quality of our smiles. Crucially, National Smile Month revolves around three central messages.

The 3 key messages of National Smile Month

1. Brush your teeth last thing at night, and on at least one other occasion with fluoride toothpaste

Admittedly not all of National Smile Month’s aims involve the snappiest of messages, but there’s no denying the wisdom in it. Lots of people still underestimate the importance of brushing twice a day, as it ensures that you can get all the food from between your teeth and prevents the build-up of plaque – a major contributor to the formation of gum disease.

By the way, here’s handy trick from our experts: when you finish brushing, don’t swill your mouth out immediately with water, as it washes away all the fluoride on your teeth. Spit out the toothpaste, definitely, but don’t swill. It tastes a little weird for a few minutes, but trust us, it gives the fluoride maximum opportunity to do your teeth a world of good.

(While we’re on the topic, don’t forget to clean between your teeth, too!)

2. Cut down on sugary food and drinks

sugary drinks

It’s fair to say that many of us have a love-hate relationship with sugary food and drinks. We love them, but they hate our teeth. Essentially, our mouths are always full of both good and bad bacteria, and the bad bacteria feed off the sugar, producing acids that are awful for our teeth. Plus, sugary drinks also contain additional acids that eat away at your protective tooth enamel, which can cause higher sensitivity, pain, and leave our teeth vulnerable to further damage. We’re not telling you to give them up entirely, of course – although if you can, good on you! – but just consume in moderation, and make sure you stick to a strict brushing regime.

If you’re struggling, on the other hand, there are lots of little ways you can cut down on sugar. For example, you can choose sugar free snacks (pay attention to ‘healthy’ breakfast bars – if they’re sticky, they’re coated in sugar!), and skip out on having sugar in your tea. Even these small little changes can rack up, and changing your habits in small ways can help you drastically reduce your sugar intake.

3. Visit your dentist regularly – as often as they recommend

We know what we’re doing here at AP Smilecare. Our oral health professionals have a wealth of experience behind them in looking after your smile, and we consider it our mission to help keep your smile looking brilliant, so that you can feel amazing! As well as our smile makeover treatment, we also offer teeth whitening and adult braces, so your smile can give you that extra burst of self-confidence. Feel free to pay us a visit at our Blackburn dental clinic, or book an appointment over the phone on 01254 297 000.