The key benefits of practicing good oral hygiene are well known, with great strides made over recent years to the point that brushing twice a day and flossing between meals has become second nature to many. During this time the dental industry has witnessed an ever-growing shift towards being a more preventative operation with a huge emphasis on oral health. But that doesn't mean more cannot be done to promote oral hygiene to patients. Not only is preventative care less expensive (and far less invasive) to patients than emergency care, promoting oral hygiene to patients can be highly beneficial to a dental practice too.

Growth In Demand For Oral Hygiene

With the explosion of online video calls brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, people are noticing their teeth and their smiles more than ever before. A generation that was already more conscious of oral aesthetics are now more actively searching for solutions to naturally improve or maintain the look of their teeth.

Data from Google shows a 63% increase in UK users searching ‘white smile' in the first four months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019, and a 53% increase in people searching for ‘best whitening toothpaste'. This presents a clear opportunity for dentists to promote more oral hygiene and whitening products to their patients.

Several studies have been able to make a clear connection between the likelihood of having the above problems and having infective oral hygiene. Highlighting these lesser-known risks with patients should be considered a way of promoting and encouraging oral hygiene.