For some of us, it’s a day you look forward to spending with our significant other. For other singles, it might be a day we loathe spending alone. Love it or hate it, Valentine’s day is a special time of the year. It reminds us to appreciate all the love in our lives. That’s why, this year, we’re putting together a short piece about why keeping your mouth healthy is so important, particularly on the day of love. We’re also including a very special offer on cosmetic teeth whitening to celebrate!.
Kissing concerns
It’s not difficult to guess what many of us will be doing this Valentine’s day…giving our loved ones a big kiss! Kissing is not only a romantic and passionate sign of affection between two loved ones, but it can also support good oral health. Surprisingly, kissing someone naturally stimulates saliva flow in the mouth, and this helps to fight cavities. This means, yes, kissing could be considered healthy for our oral health.
Kiss-expert (professionally known as philematologists) only seem to have suggestions on why we kiss each other. There is no definitive answer for why we do so it just yet. Some seem to believe that it’s just an interaction that feels good to us, while others point to it possibly originating from behaviours relating to sniffing out the quality of a potential mate. This is all very interesting, (read more about it over at Live Science) but what does this have to do with oral health you might be asking?
While kissing may be considered a healthy way of promoting good oral health, there are still certain things you should consider about your oral hygiene, or the oral hygiene of your partner, that could really gross you out. First, if you or your partner has bad oral hygiene, mouth-to-mouth contact may not be the best idea. Our mouths are full of different germs and even diseases and these can spread from one person to another when you’re kissing. The cavities, for example, can actually be contagious. This is because the bacteria that cause cavities in the first place can spread.
Other things to consider
There are other things as well that should probably be taken into consideration this Valentine’s day. Many couples will likely want to spend some quality time together. You’ll probably want to be as presentable as possible for this to make the best impression, so don’t overlook your oral hygiene! Bad oral hygiene can start to smell foul very quickly, and you wouldn’t want to show up to your date like that.
Ways to combat bad breath, for example, should start with simply maintaining good oral hygiene – brushing twice every day and flossing before bad is best. If you feel you want an extra burst of freshness, though, there are other ways of doing this that can add to your oral hygiene too. Antimicrobial mouthwash is a good way of giving your mouth lasting freshness for a date, while it also helps with your oral hygiene.
Chewing sugarless gum is also another way of quickly giving yourself fresher breath. Sugarless gum is actually very helpful at promoting good oral hygiene because the action of chewing gum stimulates saliva production without the dangers of sugar being involved. It must be noted though, that neither sugarless gum or mouthwashes of any kind should be used as an alternative to brushing.
Our special teeth whitening offer
To celebrate this year’s day of love, then, Synergy Dental will be running a huge promotional offer – £170 off Enlighten® teeth whitening kits! That’s our gift to you!
Unsure about your dental health? Call your nearest Synergy Dental Clinic and we’ll be happy to help.