Sheffield Dentists Celebrate National Smile Month
Dentists in Sheffield are hosting events to celebrate National Smile Month and get kids involved in oral health.
The annual campaign, which will run until the 20th June, is run by the British Dental Health Foundation and this year the charity is teaming up with Save Water Save Money to raise awareness of environmental issues, as well as promoting oral hygiene.
National Smile Month is designed to encourage children and adults to spend more time cleaning and looking after their teeth and gums. Recent statistics show that 8 or 9 children in every UK primary school class have signs of decay.
This month, dentists in Sheffield will be giving out special oral hygiene packs, smiley stickers and Smile-on-a-Sticks to patients and some dental teams will be taking time out to talk to parents and children about ways to improve their oral health.
The key messages from dentists include thorough brushing, using dental floss and healthy eating. In recent years the consumption of fizzy drinks and sweet foods has increased among children and this has undoubtedly caused rates of decay to increase.
Dentists recommend that parents supervise children under the age of 7 to make sure that they are brushing their teeth properly. It is also advisable to use children’s oral hygiene products, as they contain less fluoride, however, older children can use adult toothpaste but check the labels and ask your dentist if you are unsure.
Regular dental check-ups are another important part of the oral hygiene regime. Check-ups should ideally be scheduled every 6-12 months and children should go to the dentist regularly from the age of 12 months old.
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