You’ll have heard of the baby-boomers and probably generation Z, but what about the latest generation labelling… millennials. We are surrounded by millennials, they are the generation who were born between 1980 and the late 1990s, and according to popular culture, are a tech-savvy generation, who value getting a suitable balance between home and work and are not purely driven by career progression.

Millenials have ‘dual lives’ with many having an online presence on a number of social media platforms in addition to making friendships and connections via the more traditional routes, and absorb information in a different way compared with previous generations. Short, punchy information is more likely to cut through, rather than things that are too lengthy or dry and can’t compete successfully for millennials’ attention.

A recent poll of over 2,000 millennials found some interesting insights regarding their approach to oral hygiene and the priorities they place on their dental routine.  Here at CK Dental in Bristol we found some of the findings slightly concerning:

• Three in ten claims to only brush their teeth once a day
• Some go two or three days at a time without brushing their teeth at all
• Just over half suggest they are concerned about losing their teeth as they get older… despite some worrying habits that they are demonstrating now

This is hopefully an isolated set of results and not typical of a whole generation, but even if there are just small number of people who are not taking their oral care seriously enough, it is suggesting that people are lacking awareness of the repercussions of neglecting your teeth and gums.

Brush, brush and brush again

It is recommended that you brush at least twice a day for at least two minutes per brush. This is typically in the morning after you’ve had breakfast (leaving you with minty fresh breath to start the day and a clean set of teeth and gums following your coffee and cereal or whatever breakfast treats have taken your fancy) and once in the evening before bed. B

Brushing your teeth after breakfast is ideal because many breakfasts contain sugars – whether that be natural sugars in fruits or sugars that have been added to cereals or breakfast bars, if you give your teeth a thorough clean once you’ve finished your breakfast it will set you up well for the day.  If you’re really diligent and have an opportunity to do some, brushing your teeth after lunch is also a great idea.

Adopting good dental habits

Flossing is also important as it enables you to remove tiny pieces of food that have found their way into gaps between your teeth that brushing alone wouldn’t struggle to remove. These are regular, important habits to adopt at home, but it is also important to have regular check-ups with your dentist, so that they can check the overall health of your teeth and gums and can also check areas in your mouth that you would struggle to see yourself. Not only that, most people won’t know what to look out for in terms of warning signs.