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Let's help you understand oral health
Oral health is a key indicator of overall health, wellbeing and quality of life. It’s about keeping your mouth clean and free from disease, decay and other problems. Having good oral health can help to prevent gum disease, tooth decay, bad breath and tooth loss. Oral health can change across the course of life from early life to old age.
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Frequently asked questions
Oral health is about keeping your mouth clean and free from disease, decay and other problems. It includes dental health which is about keeping your teeth and gums clean and healthy. It’s an essential part of your overall health and wellbeing.
Your oral and dental health enables you to speak clearly, taste, chew, swallow foods and show how you feel through your facial expressions. Poor dental health can also impact your self-esteem which can make you feel unhappy. If you look after your oral health with good oral hygiene, you can help to keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime.
Like other areas of your body, your mouth is full of bacteria. This means sometimes bacteria in the mouth can lead to disease throughout the body.
When it comes to your oral and dental health, preventing problems is always better than having to fix them, so it’s important to have the advice at hand to look after your teeth and gums.
1Subject to availability. Eligibility criteria may apply. Charges may apply.
2Access to prescription-only treatment is subject to an online consultation with a clinician to assess suitability. Subject to availability. Charges apply.
†The Hygiene Bank is a registered charity in:
England and Wales number: 1181267
Scotland number: SC049895
