Nigel Carter introduces National Smile Month 2023 and explains why embracing it is a win-win for practices and patients.
The Oral Health Foundation first launched its National Smile Month campaign over 40 years ago. It is one of the world’s largest and longest-running campaigns.
The campaign aims to champion the benefits of a healthy smile and the value of developing and maintaining good oral health. Not just during the campaign, but for life.
From its very beginning, the Oral Health Foundation has promoted its three key messages to help people everywhere take good care of their dental health:
- Brush your teeth last thing at night and at least one other time during the day, using a fluoride toothpaste
- Cut down on how many sugary foods and drinks you have, and how often you have them
- Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.
The campaign has evolved over the years, now including many online platforms used by a wide range of individuals and groups, from dental practices to schools and workplaces.
Today, National Smile Month is supported by more than 5,000 organisations every year. Our most popular tool remains our ‘smiley’. The smiley – and sharing a ‘smiley selfie’ – continues to be a great resource for National Smile Month.
With its educational but easy-to-read messages on the back of the card, it’s a way to educate everyone about the importance of oral health in a fun and engaging manner. A ‘smiley selfie’ has the potential to be shared by everyone, go viral and help to target audiences that have previously been difficult to reach.
This wide approach encourages everyone to take part and try to get a healthy smile they can be proud of.
Say goodbye to Hollywood
For many people now, in this age of digital media and glossy magazines, a healthy smile is one which has been straightened to perfection and clinically whitened as much as possible. In essence, that classic ‘Hollywood’ smile.
However, a truly healthy smile is one in which the tooth enamel is strong, the gums do not bleed, and your mouth is pain-free and not inflamed. This is one of the reasons we champion the benefits of brushing with a fluoride toothpaste during National Smile Month.
As dental professionals, we know the benefits of fluoride for strengthening the enamel. It helps to protect the teeth and free them from dental caries. Encouraging patients to follow those three key messages, we can hopefully reduce the number of dental visits due to pain and free up appointments to see other patients.
Sometimes, with oral health messages, it can feel like we are preaching to the converted. People who are already following the advice and information from their dental team and are regular attenders. It is hard to hear that some areas across the UK now appear to be suffering from a severe lack of dental access. They have been named by the media as ‘dental deserts’.
Unfortunately, we would not see the benefit for years. Even if we were able to immediately start training enough dentists to fill the vacuum. This is because it takes at least six years to train a dentist. The messages delivered during National Smile Month can help to bridge the gap and reduce the risk of dental diseases and potential pain or tooth loss.
Fighting sugar
Consuming sugar too frequently is the source of dental problems for a lot of people. This is because many of these sugars are ‘hidden’ and can be difficult to identify. These sugars are the cause of tooth decay and a poor toothbrushing technique can exacerbate this problem.
The Oral Health Foundation is trying to combat this during week one and week two of National Smile Month. Each of the campaign weeks has a different theme to help promote the foundation’s dental health messages.
The two first weeks are called ‘The Mouth’ and ‘The Daily Routine’, respectively. When people are educated about what their mouth is and what a healthy mouth looks like, they will be more likely to recognise any dental problem when it is minor and easily treated.
We’ll be following up with a week centred around a good daily routine to help maintain dental health. This will include how to interdentally clean and effectively brush all areas of the mouth.
There are now new apps and programs that you can download on mobile phones to help patients with their oral hygiene routine. Making sure that they brush all areas of their mouth, to remove plaque from their teeth and gums, helps to prevent gum disease.
A better dental future
By spreading the word about this campaign, we can give people the tools to understand the importance of great home care for themselves, ensuring a healthier, happier mouth for life. National Smile Month has evolved to keep up with the ever-changing times. But its core messages and values will remain the same.
As part of National Smile Month, you could help to take part in a toothbrush exchange by buying toothbrushes in bulk and selling them to your community for a lower price. Many dental companies will offer better prices if you buy in larger quantities. You could provide either electric toothbrushes, manual brushes or both for children and adults.
There are so many possibilities during National Smile Month for practices to help others in their community. This is at the heart of what National Smile Month is truly about: providing people with the education, knowledge, and resources to make a better dental future for themselves and their family.
I do hope that you will take part this year and in the future. National Smile Month is a brilliant opportunity for you to support your patients and ensure a successful campaign.
National Smile Month takes place from 15 May – 15 June.
To find out more about National Smile Month, the Oral Health Foundation, or to support the campaign, visit www.smilemonth.org.
