Nearly half of Americans believe dentists can see them lying through their teeth about oral hygiene: survey

Does anyone actually floss anymore? A new survey found that over half of Americans have lied to their dentist about their dental hygiene and feel guilty about their dishonesty. In the poll of 2,000 American adults, 60% confessed to wanting to impress their dentist during office visits, leading 57% to lie about their dental hygiene during appointments.However, nearly half (48%) believe their dentist can see right through the lies.This led to 64% feeling guilty about their dishonesty.Interestingly, millennials (31%) and Gen X (29%) felt the least guilty about lying through their teeth compared to older Americans.Among the list of oral hygiene don’ts in the survey, over half of Americans (53%) confessed they don’t regularly floss, and nearly seven in 10 (68%) said they brush their teeth for less than two minutes during a standard brushing session.Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Aspen Dental, the study spoke to the mixed emotions Americans experience when it comes to dental visits, including fear, anxiety and discomfort which, for many, has led to delayed care. Anxiety is the top culprit keeping Americans from visiting the dentist (24%) and more women (29%) than men (17%) expressed feelings of anxiety when it comes to dental appointments. Twenty-two percent agreed the actual dental work puts them off, with baby boomers feeling the most uncomfortable with having dental work done (25%).

And 13% have avoided the dentist’s office because they’re embarrassed about their poor dental hygiene.The survey also revealed that nearly a quarter of Americans (22%) experience discomfort or soreness in their mouths at least once per week, with millennials experiencing more discomfort each week than other generations (34%).These feelings may contribute to the 45% who have not visited a dentist in the last year and the nearly one in five Americans (19%) who haven’t seen the inside of a dentist’s office in five years.  Digging more into the embarrassment...