Image courtesy of Delta Dental
Delta Dental published the results of an interesting survey in 2014. The findings from the Oral Health and Well-Being Survey highlighted some major shortcomings in many Americans' oral health habits. Oral health habits are important because they serve as the front-line defense for against many oral health complications. A little time spent doing maintenance and upkeep each day saves a whole lot of time and money fixing the complex system that is your mouth.
What Delta uncovered helped us put together this week's blog post of key highlights from that survey. Here is a summary of the points we found most interesting and some of our thoughts about the results:
Good oral health is strongly linked to overall well-being.
We emphasize to our patients how connected your oral health is to your overall health, and this survey finding agrees with that assertion. Results indicated that there was a high correlation between participants that report good oral health and a high sense of well-being.
Too many Americans have unresolved oral health issues.
Delta's survey found that 27% of Americans—about 1 in 4—have unresolved oral health issues. The main reasons for not seeking treatment are cost and fear. Oral health problems don't get better with time, and please know there are many dentists available who will work with your fear or ability to pay for treatment.
Too many Americans visit the dentist infrequently.
If you're not experiencing tooth decay, advanced gum disease, or any other serious oral health issues, you should still see the dentist about twice a year for a cleaning and a checkup. This is why we were so surprised to see that nearly 47%—about half—of Americans have gone more than 3 years without seeing a dentist and some point in their lives. When it comes to your health, that's a risky gamble to make.
On average, Americans don't brush their teeth long enough.
We have to admit most Americans are doing a good job, with nearly 70% of the survey respondents reporting brushing two or more times a day. That's encouraging. However, the survey also found that Americans brush their teeth on average about 10 seconds less than the recommended 120 seconds put forth by the American Dental Association.
Thanks for Reading!
We hope this brief synopsis of Delta Dental's data (say that three times fast) helps you put your own oral health habits into context. If you enjoy reading our blog, please like our Facebook page or share it with a friend.