Festival goers face the prospect of tooth decay

Festival goers face the prospect of tooth decay
26/09/2017 76 Harley Street

As the festival season draws to close many revellers will return with more than just happy memories of their favourite bands. Tooth decay is one of the unfortunate side effects of spending time away from home and neglecting your normal oral hygiene routine.

Ten percent don’t brush their teeth throughout the entire festival!

A survey recently carried out by the Oral Health Foundation and Polo Sugar Free established that a surprisingly large 38% of attendees neglected their usual routine and brushed their teeth one or less times a day. This was despite the fact, that a quarter of those surveyed had prioritised taking a toothbrush above other hygiene items.

OK, so you may think that brushing just once a day is probably not going to do too much damage but if you’re a regular festival goer and you fail to brush twice you could be increasing your chance of developing decay by up to 30%. Then there’s the ten percent who admitted they didn’t brush their teeth at all throughout the entire festival. Needless to say, that’s just asking for future dental problems.

As Cathering Wragg of Polo Sugar Free says; “Neglecting oral health while out and about can be a huge problem and can result in tooth decay, bad breath and even, in severe cases, tooth loss.”

The festival diet compounds the oral hygiene problem

The problem of poor oral hygiene at festivals is compounded by the food and drinks on offer. Alcohol, carbonated drinks and of course lots of sugary food stuffs all help corrode the outer layers of the teeth. If you’ve gone to the trouble of packing a toothbrush, make sure you stick a small tube of fluoride toothpaste in your bag and stick to the two minute, twice a day rule. Also, drink plenty of non-fizzy water and perhaps chew on some sugar-free gum after you’ve eaten or drunk anything.

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