Tips for festival-goers

Q. I’m off to a couple of festivals soon – any tips on how I can look after my teeth on the go?

A. With the excitement that going to a music festival brings, you can be forgiven for not packing the right essentials in order to ensure that you can take the best care of your teeth. But it is essential, at a music festival more than anything, to ensure you’re well equipped to look after your teeth and give them the best care.

A recent study from the Oral Health Foundation found that 10 per cent of people that attend festivals do not brush their teeth for the duration of the entire event and around 40 per cent do so one time or less per day. When you are packing for a festival, make sure one of the first things you pack are your toothbrush and a fluoride toothpaste as well as some sugarfree chewing gum to go with that.

Usually, after you eat or drink anything sugary – including alcoholic cocktails – your teeth are under attack from the acid for up to an hour afterwards. This increases the chances of your teeth decaying, causing bad breath and, at times, even tooth loss. Therefore, chewing gum afterwards increases the production of saliva in your mouth and helps to neutralise the acids that are present within your mouth, too.

Brushing your teeth twice a day – once in the morning and once before bed – will help to keep your teeth in the best possible condition and allow you to have a the best possible time, too!

For more information about dental issues, contact Synergy Dental Clinics Bolton, email bolton@synergydental.org.uk or go to synergydental.org.uk/dentist-in-bolton