The last few years have been a tough one for the nation’s oral health. A huge reduction in appointments during the Covid-19 pandemic and the declining availability of NHS dentists has led to fewer opportunities to see dentists, claims of ‘dental deserts’ with no NHS coverage and horror stories of people pulling their teeth out with pliers.

Much of the focus on tackling Britain’s dental issues has been based on cures, not prevention. This is especially true now as an election looms.

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to overhaul the NHS dental contract introduced in 2006 to bring dentists back and offer patient guarantees, Labour has pledged 100,000 urgent appointments for children and the Conservatives have promised 2.5 million extra appointments by making newly-qualified dentists start their careers in the NHS.

Such measures, introduced by whoever wins (probably Labour), may help, but what will also reduce the burden on dentistry, be it private or NHS, is better oral health to start with. All good dentists will encourage their patients to take more steps to look after their teeth and not just rely on them being able to fix problems when they occur.

The use of daily mouthwash is a prime example. This brings many benefits and, when used in conjunction with daily brushing using a good fluoride toothpaste (and definitely not as a substitute for it), can help massively improve oral health.

Among the positive impacts is that it kills bacteria, which helps reduce tooth decay and combats bad breath. Many contain fluoride, which helps prevent cavities from forming.

Corsodyl is particularly useful for fighting gum disease. This can help prevent tooth loss, excessive pain and some unexpected other health impacts as disease spreads beyond the mouth. This means those with gum disease are at an elevated risk of suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or even Alzheimer’s disease.

None of this means those hoping to form future governments shouldn’t have policies aimed at boosting dentistry in the UK. But there is no doubt that the efforts of individuals to look after their teeth more can go a long way to reducing pressure on the service.