Olympic athletes to receive free dental care during London 2012

In order to make sure those gold medal winners smiles are looking their best for London 2012 coverage, the overseas Olympic athletes are being provided with free dental care at a private Polyclinic at the Olympic Park.

This also means that any work that the athletes were unable to access in their home country, due to factors such as high costs, can now be carried out free of charge.  If athletes are receiving treatment for dental health issues at the Olympic village, the National Health Foundation, organised by the British Dental Health Foundationsaid this should help with their overall performance during the games.  Looking after your dental health not only helps to maintain a healthy mouth, your general health will also benefit substantially. 

Generally athletes are in a strong position for oral health as people who regularly exercise are less likely to develop problems that could lead to gum disease and other dental worries.  There is also a large number of links between overall health benefiting from good oral hygiene and is said to benefit issues including lung disease heart issues and diabetes. 

One problem that athletes may find is that they are at risk of dental erosion through supplementing their training with sports and energy drinks to aid performance and recovery.  Due to the high sugar nature of these drinks, they wear away at the enamel coating on the teeth which can cause cavities requiring fillings and tooth loss in more extreme cases. 

If you have budding athletes in the family or if you just have active children, it is important to try regulating the amount of acidic and sugary food and drinks they consume.  If younger adults and children continue to use energy drinks they will face a great number of dental problems in later life.  If they are consuming acidic and sugary drinks, one way to minimise damage to the teeth is to drink through a straw.  Other proactive things that can be done are making sure the child regularly brushes their teeth and visits the dentist.  Another proactive option is to get dental insurance so they will be protected in the event that they will need treatment and will be covered and receive quality care.