North Shore Smiles, the Kochia Lane dental practice led by Dr Caroline Downing for more than 30 years, is supporting Dental Health Week 2026 (3–9 Aug), the Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) annual campaign. This year’s initiative, “My Smile”, focuses on the oral health of Australians aged 18 to 25.
While much of the conversation around Dental Health Week centres on dental emergencies and cosmetic concerns, Dr Downing says the ADA’s advice for maintaining healthy teeth throughout life is simple: brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, clean between the teeth daily with floss or interdental brushes, eat a balanced diet, limit added sugar and visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and preventive care.
For young adults moving out of home for the first time, however, it is often these basic habits that are the first to slip.
“When you are living at home, there will usually be a parent restocking the toothpaste, reminding you to floss, or keeping an eye on how many soft drinks you are having,” said Dr Downing, principal dentist at North Shore Smiles. “The moment young people move out, start studying full-time or begin a new job, those small daily habits are often the first thing to slip, and that is exactly when we start seeing more decay and early gum disease in this age group.”
Dr Downing points to the everyday realities of early independence — irregular meal times, more takeaway food and coffee, energy drinks to get through study sessions or shift work, and simply being too tired at the end of a long day to floss — as common contributors to the oral health problems she sees among younger patients.
Much of this damage, she notes, can develop quietly and painlessly long before a patient notices that anything is wrong.
“A lot of the damage from missed brushing, too much sugar or one too many energy drinks does not hurt at first,” Dr Downing said. “That is exactly why the check-up part of Dental Health Week’s advice matters so much for this age group — we can often see the early signs of a problem well before a patient feels a thing, and a small filling now is always easier than a root canal later.”
North Shore Smiles has built its approach around prevention and education rather than simply treating problems as they arise. Dr Downing says this becomes even more important for younger patients who are managing their own oral care routine, often for the first time without parental guidance.
Appointments typically include practical, personalised advice on brushing technique, flossing and diet, tailored to each patient’s daily routine rather than following a generic checklist.
“Our approach has always been prevention first,” Dr Downing said. “I would much rather spend 10 minutes showing a young patient the right way to floss, or talking through their diet and daily habits, than spend an hour later fixing a cavity that a bit of daily care could have avoided altogether.”
Dr Downing is encouraging young adults across Lindfield, Killara, Roseville and the wider North Shore to use Dental Health Week as an opportunity to review their daily oral care routine and book a check-up, particularly if it has been some time since their last visit.
In conjunction with Dental Health Week, patients are invited to schedule a Check and Clean appointment to take advantage of the practice’s Smile Deals Offer.
“You do not need a perfect routine overnight,” Dr Downing said. “Brush twice a day, floss once a day, go easy on the sugary drinks, and come in and see us regularly. Those four simple habits will do more for your smile over a lifetime than almost anything else.”
Source: MarketersMEDIA Newswire
