Fear of false teeth is Britons’ No 1 ageing horror

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London: Britons’ No 1 ageing fear is have to wear false teeth, according to a new survey.

Nearly half of Brits are in grave danger of having teeth that are ‘older’ than they are, due to poor diets and shameful dental habits according to new research* from Orbit CompleteTM. And yet, the nation’s biggest ageing fear is the prospect of having to wear dentures – proving that Brits really need to brush up on their ‘dental know how’ if they want to avoid their worst nightmare coming true!

Top Ageing Anxieties

Wearing dentures
41%

Dying grey hair
17%

Trimming excessive facial hair
13%

Taking supplements
7%

Using anti-wrinkle cream
7%

Wearing glasses
3%

From Thursday, you can take the test and work out your personal dental risk factor by visiting Orbit Mouth Makeover

Dent’ You Believe It

When we think of someone looking ‘old’, one of the first things we think of is stained, crooked and rotting teeth. As a nation, despite being scared of ending up having to ‘glue’ our teeth in each day, we’re not helping ourselves with over half of us confessing to not knowing how to clean our teeth correctly and a third never bothering to floss.

Drink your way to dental decay

Orbit Complete worked with the British Dental Health Foundation to discover other dental villains harming our teeth. Fruit smoothies and juices might be a great way to help you get your 5-a-day, but whether the 61% of Brits that drink them regularly are aware that they have a high acid content that is harmful to their teeth, is doubtful. Coffee, white wine and red wine, also guzzled by Brits on a regular basis, are also adding on the years by eroding and discolouring their teeth.

Welsh Have Oldest Teeth in U

It’s the Welsh who are in danger of being ‘long in the tooth’ before their time, with one in five coming out worst in the dental test due to lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking fizzy drinks, but it’s the Scots who seem to be the least bothered about their dental health routine. The Southerners are ‘young gums’ with the most youthful teeth. The Northern Irish spend the most time preening their pearly whites – almost one in ten have bleached their own teeth at home with over-the-counter whitening kits.

*Study of 1100 adults aged 18+ conducted by ICM Research between 7-9th July 2008

About the Wrigley Company

The Wrigley Company is the world’s leading manufacturer of chewing and bubblegum and a major player in the confectionery industry worldwide. Some of Wrigley’s most famous brands include Wrigley’s Extra®, Airwaves®, Orbit Complete®, Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley’s Spearmint®, Doublemint® and Hubba www.wrigley.co.uk

About the British Dental Health Foundation

The British Dental Health Foundation is an independent charity that along with its global arm, the International Dental Health Foundation, is dedicated to improving the oral health of the public by providing free and impartial dental advice, by running educational campaigns like National Smile Month and by informing and influencing the public, profession and government on issues such as mouth cancer awareness and water fluoridation. It has a 37-year track record of providing objective and unbiased advice, information and recommendations. The Foundation’s independent Dental Helpline is staffed by a team of qualified dental experts and offers free and impartial expert advice. The service is available Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm on 0845 063 1188. For more information visit < a href="http://www.dentalhealth.org">www.dentalhealth.org

Quitting smoking advice to mark National No Smoking Day

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London: While the smoking ban has caused many Brits to quit or at least cut down, almost half (42%) of British smokers admit their cigarette cravings are out of control and despite wanting to quit they regularly give in and reach for a ciggie, according to new research by Wrigley Extra sugarfree gum, to coincide with National No Smoking Day (tomorrow)

The survey of 1,100 smokers across the UK looked at the top methods being used by smokers to control their cravings and who has the most influence to change their habit. A strong willed quarter (24%) say going cold turkey is the most effective method, while 1 in 10 (9%) avoid friends and family who smoke or being near smoking areas.

One in ten (10%) say chewing sugarfree gum helps them to manage the stress of intense cigarette cravings. Research shows that chewing gum helps to release nervous energy in the mind. An act as simple as chewing gum can offer a quick fix for assuaging the build up of pressure on a day to day level.

Top 5 smoking avoidance techniques % of Smokers using technique

Going cold turkey 24%

Chewing sugarfree gum (without nicotine) 10%

Avoiding friends or family who smoke 9%

Acupuncture or Hypnotherapy 4%

Smoking patches 2%

Guilty Feelings

The research also shows that smokers suffer from stress caused by emotional guilt when they light up. Over a quarter (26%) admit the anti-smoking views of their children tug on their heart strings, with almost one in five (15%) stating disapproval from partners causes stress levels to spiral. Strangely 2% smokers confess to starting petty arguments with loved ones or colleagues just to take their mind off the stressful cravings!

Causing The Most Guilty Tension % of Nation

My children 26%

My partner/spouse 15%

Friends 10%

Parents 7%

Other family 7%

“Stress caused by craving cigarettes can get out of hand. Some smokers employ alternative therapies such as acupuncture or hypnotherapy to help them quit, however, simple solutions like taking a walk or chewing gum can also help manage stress,” says Dr David Lewis, stress psychologist.

David Lewis, stress expert, has the following top tips to help you manage the stress and tension of smoking cravings, to give you the upper hand:

Identify when you’re most susceptible to loosing control and take action! Go for a walk, drink a glass of water, or call a good friend as a distraction
Deal with the craving triggers and find ways to manage them. If you’re stressed a simple thing like chewing Wrigley Extra chewing gum can bring relief as it stimulates certain areas of the brain

Set a deadline to control or kick your craving and tell someone about it. Often once we’ve told another about a craving it seems instantly more manageable
Celebrate your successes along the way. National No Smoking Day being just the date!