A study shows the Philippines has the highest number of denture wearers in Southeast Asia, with one in three adults or nearly 30 million Filipinos smiling with the help of reinforcements.
But what’s more surprising is that almost half or 41 percent of Filipino denture wearers are millennials or those aged 18 to 35. Not senior citizens.
Despite the prevalence of false teeth, the stigma attached to wearing them results in lack of discussion about the topic. Younger people in general have to deal with a lot of insecurities when it comes to their appearance. Embarrassed wearers are reduced to hiding the fact they have dentures.
Further, most denture wearers exercise poor cleansing and maintenance: approximately 16 percent of this population do not clean their dentures, according to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare
“Filipinos perceive having dentures as hindrance in doing even the simplest things such as eating, laughing, and getting intimate with their partners,” said GSK Consumer Healthcare Philippines general manager Ritesh Pandey.
Pandey added, “We want to give young denture wearers a new kind of confidence to go about their everyday lives carefree and without distractions by providing specialized denture care solutions.”
To educate the public on proper denture care and hygiene, GSK has partnered with Philippine Prosthodontic Society to launch the public education campaign #NewKindOfConfidence, which aims to jumpstart conversations on this subject and teach the importance of taking care of dentures.
As part of the awareness and educational campaign, GSK and PPS launched the first-ever Denture Care Day in the country, marking June 25 as the annual celebration. The event featured a series of informative and personal talks that highlighted what wearers face every day.
Young denture wearers shared their insights on how proper denture care and hygiene plays a big role in overcoming the barriers and limitations of wearing dentures.
Leading denture brand Polident has developed innovative solutions to address common distractions of having false teeth.
GSK said using toothpaste when cleaning dentures can cause microscopic abrasions where food and plaque builds up. This causes stains and deterioration of the denture frame, compromising the support it gives to the wearer.
Polident’s cleanser tablet has a 4-in-1 cleansing system that is gentle on denture material, cleans without scratching, kills 10 times more bacteria, and provides deep clean in just 10 minutes.
The brand also offers adhesives to close the spaces and keep dentures in place for a natural feel and look of the teeth, as well preventing food from getting trapped in gaps, which could cause gum irritation and bad breath.