AND now known that the Oral health plays an important role in the health of the whole body. But what is perhaps less well known is how much the aesthetic aspect of the smile has acquired greater importance for people, especially after the pandemic.
A survey carried out earlier this year by Curaseptone of the largest companies in the field of oral care, and from the site Dica33.ithas in fact highlighted how, since the obligation to use masks has lapsed, there has been a return of attention to smileto their own and to that of others.
Oral health: how important a smile is for people
From what emerged from the survey, conducted on a sample of 500 people, the 24.3% said they pay more attention to people’s smiles and the state of their teeth. Almost as if it were a natural consequence, 18% are more concerned with the appearance of their smile. One data, in particular, suggests that showing one’s teeth can become a source of concern, while hiding them, in some cases, allows one to feel safer: according to 22% of the participants in the survey, the mask also constituted, in a certain way, a psychological protection.
The smile as a “business card”
Pandemic aside, always a a healthy smile denotes attention and care for the person and is considered by many to be a “business card” in social relationships. When it comes to smile aesthetics, in fact, more than 66% of the participants the Curasept survey would gladly change something: there are those who would like whiter teeth (39.7%), those who would change the position of one or more teeth (15.4%) and those who would straighten at least one (11.4%).
Oral health: good practices are not always known
But if oral hygiene and smile aesthetics are important for many people, it is equally true that fake news and false beliefs, risk creating quite a few pitfalls, pushing to misuse practices, often considered harmless or even beneficial. As demonstrated by another survey carried out by Curasept and Dica33.it, in which they participated over 1,800 people.
«If from the data of our last survey it emerged that the search for a perfect smile was increasingly important for people, it is now evident as there are false securities or incorrect habits of which we are little aware – explains Paola Della Bruna, Scientific & Clinical Affairs Manager of Curasept. – The survey on oral hygiene and care habits tells us that to improve our smilewhich is then closely related to general health, there is so much we can do starting from small attentions in everyday life… maybe starting right from the summer months!».
Oral health and false myths
So what are the most common myths? For example the one according to which coffee stains teeth more than tea.
From what emerged from the survey, in fact, only 27% of the sample showed that they knew that the youconsumed this season especially in the version cold, poses an even greater risk to the teeth than coffee. “The tannina natural substance that stains teeth by sticking to the enamel, it is contained in greater quantities in tea than in coffee, even if we tend to believe the opposite – explains Daniele Modesti, dental hygienist and clinical consultant for Curasept. – Without considering that, in addition to a high dose of tannin, bottled iced tea contains a significant dose of sugar which increases the risk of developing caries.
Beware of acidic fruit
Mature woman looking in beauty mirror in bathroom checking her teeth
Special attention should also be paid to the fruit. Few know that citrus and other acidic fruits they can hide pitfalls. «Sour fruit, like citrus fruits, pineapple, strawberries and raspberries, damages the tooth enamel in a harmful wayespecially in the more subjects predisposed to caries and demineralization – emphasizes the expert. – To counter this problem, you can chew something crunchy right after that helps to remove plaque residues and any stains”. Green light, then, to fruit dryindicated – erroneously – by 10% of the participants as a dangerous food for the teeth.
First the brush, then the floss: is it really like that?
Even the correct oral hygiene routine would not seem to be so clear to everyone.
«The different ones steps of oral hygiene are not interchangeable and there is a precise order to make hygiene truly effective» – Modesti says. 43% of survey participants, however, are not aware of it and do not follow a precise order or even floss after brushing, a practice that few know is not the most correct. «If we imagine having to clean the floor of a room, the first thing we would do is move the furniture and lift the carpet, to make sure that the dust does not hide in the nooks and crannies of the room – continues the expert. – With oral hygiene, the logic is the same: first you should use dental floss, to remove food residues and prepare the mouth for the passage of the toothbrush. As a last step, a rinsing with mouthwash, preferably from the same line as the toothpaste».
Should teeth be brushed immediately after meals?
Finally, a habit to keep in mind it concerns brushing your teeth after the main meals of the day, but paying attention to an aspect that we tend to underestimate. From what emerged from the Curasept survey, in fact, it is a very widespread habit to wash them immediately after breakfast (69.3%), immediately after lunch (48%) and immediately after dinner (33.6%). However, according to oral health experts, you should wait about 30 minutes after the end of the mealso that saliva has time to restore the right balance, altered by food acids and sugars.
But there are other habits that can jeopardize the health of your teeth: in the gellery above some false myths that it is good to know.
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