Do you suffer from Tradies teeth?
Now, as dentists, we don’t learn at dental school about ‘tradie’s teeth’, however, it's an important topic to cover, particularly if you are a tradie or related to one in some way.
The first thing to know about tradies is that they are very hardworking, they work long hours usually involving physical labour.
Often, they skip breakfast and smoko is their first meal of the day combining breakfast and lunch. Sometimes, to sustain themselves until smoko, they may use energy drinks, juice or soft drink or snacks to get them through. They might snack to keep their energy levels up between jobs.
To unwind in the evening, they may have a couple of drinks, possibly mixed with soft drink.
Because tradies work long hours, they may only brush their teeth once a day either because they are too tired at night or up early in the morning and in a hurry to get to work. It might be that they don't brush their teeth every day.
Often their work commitments mean their health might not be their top priority and they can let things go before they seek help for a condition.
Perhaps they have not been to the dentist for a few years since they left school and their mum stopped booking them appointments.
These factors can combine to mean the first time we see them is because they are in pain with a decayed tooth or an infected wisdom tooth. Often their gums are very inflamed due to the build-up of germs.
The good news is we get you and we are here to help! We’re not going to make you feel bad, we’re just going to welcome you back to dentistry.
So, if you're a tradie and you're still reading, here’s some tips to keep your teeth and mouth healthy and strong.
Brush your teeth twice each day with a fluoride toothpaste
If you’re thirsty, drink water and keep soft drink for meal times
Keep snacking to twice daily and chew some sugar free gum after eating if you are at work
Come and see us, we won't bite! It's much better to book your appointment in advance at a time that suits you than to leave it until you have a toothache and have to take time off work
Often, once we have dealt with the problematic tooth, it's a case of attending for regular professional cleaning and preventive care to keep your gums healthy, breath fresh and teeth strong.
Don’t suffer from ‘tradies teeth’, book now!