SOME INTERESTING FACTS

Here is a summary of some facts I found from different surveys done over the last decade.

Are you happy with your smile?

• 50% consider the smile the first facial feature they notice
• 80% are not happy with their smile

• Smile enhanced procedures outnumber eyelid surgeries 5 to 1

Americans do not spend enough time on oral home care or professional care.

• 32% of Americans cite bad breath as the least attractive trait of their co-workers
• 38.5 total days an average American spends brushing teeth over lifetime (compared to (1) year of your life spent on hold)
• 73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss

Interesting stuff:

• It is recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
• A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans
• Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum

The number of cavities in the average mouth is down and people are keeping their teeth longer.   People, on average, have healthier mouths than even 10 years ago.  Specifically:

• The decline in tooth decay was greatest among kids but holds across every age group
• 40% of young people age 6 to 19 have never had cavities.  That’s down from 50% a decade ago
• The proportion of people over age 60 who lost all their teeth decreased from 33% to 25%

• People who smoke remain three times more likely than non-smokers to lose all their teeth

Despite the fact that more Americans have dental coverage than ever before, dental visits are on the decline. There are many reasons for this.

• Regardless of insurance coverage, adults still report cost as the number one reason for not visiting the dentist
• Benefits from insurance carriers are decreasing despite increases in premiums
• More employers are choosing PPO (network) plans with limited providers leading to decreased visits
• Patients report they are less likely to spend discretionary dollars on dentistry vs. personal technology

And most important to consider:

• The average woman smiles about 62 times a day! A man?  Only 8!
• Kids laugh around 400 times a day. Grown-ups just 15

Dr. St. Clair maintains a private dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport dedicated to health-centered family dentistry. If there are certain topics you would like to see written about or questions you have please email them to him at jpstclair@stclairdmd.com. You can view all previously written columns at www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com/blog.