Dentistry in print media

In the last month or so I’ve seen a wide range of articles about dentistry in print media. It may not be as exciting a topic as Euro 2016 or the EU Referendum, but oral healthcare affects us all. So it’s good to see publications with as diverse audiences as Saga Magazine and Bella including detailed articles about teeth.

Not surprisingly, Jane Garton’s excellent piece in Saga Magazine focussed more on care for ageing teeth. It highlighted issues such as yellowing teeth; receding gums; teeth that wobble and what you can do to revive your smile.  And the article provided practical, sensible advice from my colleague Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation.

Bella Magazine quite naturally took a different approach to their story, given that they serve a largely different readership to Saga Magazine. And this is key with dentistry in print media. Understanding what will resonate with your readership is vital, and this is what Bella did.

Bad breath

They led on bad breath, and then concentrated on other things to look out for, between visits to the dentist. These included white patches and white spots. They also focussed on burning mouth, mouth ulcers and dry mouth. On behalf of the Oral Health Foundation, I collaborated with Bella Magazine on this article and was delighted about the quality and detail of information we were able to get across.

Of course, the Oral Health Foundation does its best to keep dentistry in print media. We have our own publication, Word of Mouth and this month I’ve contributed a piece about flossing. Well, it’s not really about flossing, but more about the various substitutes people use instead of floss!

I think we should have issues a health warning with this article – it’s not for the squeamish!

But it was a fun piece, with a serious message to end National Smile Month.