12 fun facts about dental hygiene

Did you know… more than half of us would share our toothbrush with somebody.

The British Dental Health Foundation released its facts and findings for National Smile Month:

1. Half of us brush our tongues when we brush our teeth. This is key to keeping nasty bacteria from building up on our tongues and giving us bad breath.
2. We use bizarre objects to get food out of our teeth, including earrings, business cards, screwdrivers and keys. We think you should just stick to floss…
3. A smile comes top of the things we first notice when we meet new people, which is why it’s so important to keep your teeth looking healthy and white.
4. More than half of us would share our toothbrush with somebody.
5. Over half of us say that we regularly floss, but when you look at the UK figures for floss sales, it’s actually close to a mere 5%. Floss is very important for your teeth, it gets in those cracks where brushing can’t reach.
6. 20% of us think fluoride is a gimmick. Fluoride is a strong chemical that actually repairs the enamel in teeth.
7. Not surprisingly, chocolate is the food that makes us smile the most, closely followed by a Sunday roast. How very British.
8. When looking for ‘The One’, a good smile comes top of the list of physical attributes we look for, over body shape, dress sense and good eyes.
9. 8 in 10 of us said that if someone smiled at us on a night out, we’d be more likely to talk to them, even if we didn’t know them.
10. More than half of us think Brits have bad teeth (we’re here to help!)
11. A toothbrush was top of the list of things we couldn’t leave behind if we went on holiday.
12. Finally, remember that it takes 43 muscles to frown, and only 17 to smile; so show off those pearly whites.