"Brushing up" at the office

You brush in the morning and before bedtime, but what about after lunch? It turns out the majority of Americans are neglecting daytime dental care even though they spend a third or more of every weekday at work.

"Meals, snacks and sugary beverages during the day contribute to a lot of plaque and can increase the chance of tooth decay and gum disease," says Ken Sutherland, DDS, a Delta Dental dentist consultant. "Brushing on the job definitely reduces bacteria."

 But according to a survey released by the Academy of General Dentistry and Oral-B Laboratories, although more than three-quarters of respondents are eating twice or more a day at the workplace, only 14 percent brush every day at work. The survey also found that keeping an extra toothbrush at the office increases your likelihood of brushing at work by 65 percent.

Here are some other tips to help make brushing at work a regular habit:

• Post a sticky note on your desk or computer as a reminder to brush your teeth after lunch.
• Brush your teeth right after lunch, before you become absorbed in work or meetings for the remainder of the afternoon.
• Store your toothbrush at your desk in some type of travel container, making sure to dry the toothbrush after each use.
• Replace your workplace toothbrush more often than your toothbrush at home to avoid bacteria buildup, and always replace your toothbrush after an illness.

Need another incentive to brush at work? The survey found that one of the least attractive traits of co-workers is bad breath.