Are you ready for a Smileathon?!

June 3, 2015

You may not be off to a wedding this month, but you could still be involved in a Smileathon! How long could you hold a smile for in the name of raising awareness? That’s right, you could organise a sponsored Smileathon at your local school, youth club or community group. Or if your cheek muscles can’t quite stand the excessive grinning, why not consider running a tooth brush exchange, or healthy foods event? But why, I hear you ask? From 18th May-18th June it’s National Smile Month in the UK, a time to focus on all things tooth related, and to work together to improve oral health in Great Britain.

Sponsored by well-known names including Wrigleys, Oral-B and Invisalign, National Smile Month is a focus month run by the British Dental Health Foundation. The aim of the campaign is to improve the oral health of the nation by promoting the following three pieces of advice:

• 1.Brush your teeth twice a day. Aim to do this at bedtime, and then on at least one other occasion during the day.
• 2.Ensure you’re mindful of the amount of sugary drinks and food you consume, and reduce this as much as possible.
• 3.Always attend your routine dental check-ups. Your dentist will advise you how often you need to go.

Follow these three key pointers and you should be on the right track to maintaining a perfect smile.

So who else is involved in National Smile Month? In the region of 3,500 medical practices and organisations across the UK have pledged their support, and so far approximately 1,500 oral health events are planned. This all contributes towards this being the UK’s ‘largest and longest running oral health campaign’ to date. It is hoped that over half a million patients will be impacted by National Smile Month – that’s over half a million more radiant smiles!

There are lots of different ways that you can get involved in National Smile Month, and the website is brimming with free resources and pointers to help you do so. The website also features lots more information and detail about the campaign and is sure to get you off to a good start with planning your event. So don’t delay, join the British Dental Health Foundation in bringing smiles to thousands across the UK.