What’s on: Eat, Drink, Chew in Manchester

As you might already be aware, this month Wrigley is on a mission to help improve Manchester’s oral health. Sampling teams are out in force across the city, giving out free sugar free gum as we speak, so make sure you look out for them, after all who doesn’t love a free sample?!

There’s even more to come in May to celebrate National Smile Month!

To further support the cause, Wrigley has discovered that a massive 251kg of lingering food is left in Manchester’s mouths after snacking each week. A giant display of snacks was constructed in St Ann’s Square to highlight just a proportion of this food.

Further findings revealed that:

· Only one third of those surveyed (34%) admitted to cleaning their teeth only once a day

· More than one in ten (16%) are unaware that food lingers in their mouths after eating

· Nearly half (41%), rated a beautiful smile as one of their top confidence boosters

Manchester Social 101 was given the opportunity to interview Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive, British Dental Health Foundation about the importance of looking after your teeth.

1. What advice would you give to ensure that our breath remains fresh?
Unpleasant breath is often a sign of gum disease. Besides brushing for two minutes twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste and cleaning in between your teeth with interdental brushes or floss, using a mouthwash and chewing sugar-free gum after meals can reduce plaque and help prevent gum disease from developing and ensure you keep fresh breath.
After brushing first thing in the morning and just before you go to bed the use of a mouthwash containing antibacterials to help control plaque and fluoride to further help reduce tooth decay will help.

2. Were you surprised by the findings?

What was most shocking from Wrigley’s research is that whilst such a high percentage of people in Manchester said that oral healthcare is important (93%), one third of them admitted to brushing their teeth only once a day (34%) and don’t chew sugar free gum or rinse their mouths after eating! Along with regular checkups, twice daily brushing and cleaning in between teeth with interdental brushes or floss, chewing sugar free gum after you eat or drink is a great addition to your oral care routine.

3. Is it true that chewing gum can cause problems with your stomach as your body thinks you are eating?
I do not think there is any evidence of adverse effects at all. Chewing sugar free gum after meals increases the flow of saliva, the mouth’s natural protection mechanism. This helps to neutralise the acids produced from sugars in our foods by the bacteria in dental plaque. Over many attacks this acid can lead to the production of cavities in the teeth. Many sugar free gums also contain Xylitol which helps to reduce plaque formation.

4. When on a night out, what are your recommendations to ensure that your teeth remain as healthy as possible? i.e. brushing after a meal (even if eating out)
Eating or drinking weakens the enamel on the teeth. When you are on a night out it is not possible to wait one hour before brushing your teeth, so you can help to speed up the time that is takes for the saliva to neutralise plaque acids and lessen the damage that they can cause by chewing sugar-free gum for around 10 minutes.
The most important way to protect teeth is by cleaning twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste but chewing sugar free gum can help keep your mouth healthy when you are on the go.

5. What are your thoughts on professional teeth whitening?
Tooth whitening using the correct product carried out by a dentist (or hygienist under the supervision of a dentist) is a safe procedure. It is a great way of improving the appearance of the teeth without damaging or removing any of the tooth surface as you would if you were having veneers or crowns so it is minimally invasive.
The growing trend towards cosmetic dentistry may be a result of the way celebrities present themselves, but we must not forget the basics of good oral hygiene. It is no coincidence that we associate a confident, radiant smile with images of people and celebrities we see every day.

6. Who would you use as an example of the perfect set of teeth?
Research conducted by the Foundation discovered that people would rather the natural look sported by Kate Moss rather than the professional cosmetically enhanced one of, for instance, Cheryl Cole.
Brushing for two minutes twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, cutting down on how often you eat and drink sugary foods and drinks and visiting your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend, will help develop good oral health. It is better to keep to these rules before seeking cosmetic work rather than papering over cracks.

It’s apparent that many people in Manchester are unaware that food lingers in their mouth after eating. This can cause harmful levels of plaque acids to build up on teeth, which weakens them. So Wrigley are campaigning for Manchester to break up with its lingering food, and eat, drink, and chew for healthy teeth.

Manchester Social 101 will be running a competition on our Facebook page to win so e samples to ensure you can look after your teeth when out and about! To be involved simply like our page and keep you eye out for the comp going live!