Dental hygiene: Poor oral hygiene can lead to these deadly diseases, expert reveals

It turns out that the health of your teeth can determine just how well your brain and the rest of your body are doing.

The pandemic's effect on dental hygiene in Brits

According to a new study that surveyed 2000 British people, three in 10 Brits eased off on maintaining a healthy oral hygiene routine during the pandemic. The study in question also found some pretty staggering results that might make you reconsider slacking off on tooth-brushing duties. A quarter of respondents admitted to not having visiting a dentist in over 12 months. Further, one in 20 participants said they only change their toothbrushes twice a year.

Finally, and probably most surprising of all, 22% of respondents said they have gone more than three days without brushing their teeth at all. Though brushing your teeth might seem like it only concerns the health of your mouth, it is actually much more important than you would think. Expert in dental hygiene, Dr Alex George, explained:

Your mouth is a gateway to your overall health. Issues such as gum problems have been linked with health issues including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and even dementia.

And added:

[This is] is why it’s so important to include looking after your mouth as part of a wider health routine.

How to get back on track?

Top London-based dentist, Dr Monik Vasant said that all it takes to get back on track with your dental hygiene if its been lacking is to set up a ritual that you can follow through every day. He said:

People don’t realise that not brushing your teeth twice a day, even just for two weeks, can result in a build-up in plaque that can have a lasting impact and we’re seeing this play out with the increase of patients presenting with gum disease and tooth decay.

Before adding:

To get back on track with your oral health we’re encouraging people to simply brush twice a day for 2 minutes, change your brush or brush head every three months and clean in between your teeth.