Oral hygiene means more to lovers than sweaty pits

If you’re thinking about being romantic tonight, you might want to make sure your oral hygiene is in check.

Based on a new survey, oral hygiene is significantly preferred over the traditional romantic overtures to set the mood, such as dimming the lights, lighting candles, wearing perfume or playing romantic music.

The national survey examined Americans’ views on oral healthcare and revealed that a clean mouth was most important in maintaining a healthy relationship.

Close to six in ten, or 59%, would be most disturbed by their partner not brushing or flossing his or her teeth for a week, as compared to only 24% who would be most perturbed if their significant other passed on wearing deodorant.

Far fewer were bothered by their partner skipping shaving, hair combing or trimming toe nails for a week, at 9%, 6% and 2%, respectively.

The Waterpik Sexy Smile Survey also found that while they are quick to judge the flossing habits of their significant others, the majority of Americans actually have a lot of ups and downs in their own relationship with floss.

Key findings on flossing and oral healthcare include:
• Americans are most likely to floss just before visiting the dentist (51%), and when they have food stuck in between their teeth or have bad breath (64%), which could mean their mouths are not as fresh as they should be most other times!
• Nearly six in ten (58%) Americans say they deserve a C or lower for the efforts they make to floss their teeth on a daily basis. In fact, about one in five (18%) give themselves a failing grade.
• Among people who floss their teeth, close to six in ten (57%) say that floss makes their gums bleed, it gets stuck between their teeth, (52%), and it caused little bits of food to fly onto the mirror (42%).

Jay McCulloch, vice president of marketing for Water Pik Oral Health Products, says: ‘The results of this study reinforced some of what we already knew – that most consumers simply don’t like to floss with string – but we were surprised at how important oral hygiene was in order to be attractive to your significant other.

‘The Waterpik Water Flosser is a great option for those who are struggling with traditional floss. It’s easy to use, it’s clinically proven to be significantly more effective than string floss, and it takes only one minute per day.’

The Waterpik Water Flosser uses pulsating water to clean deep between teeth and below the gumline to remove plaque and debris where traditional brushing and flossing can’t reach.

For more information on Waterpik oral health products and clinical research results, visit www.waterpik.com.

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