Brushing and flossing are not the only factors that can impact your dental health: where you live can have an effect, too.
WalletHub found that some areas of the United States have a higher density of dental professionals, and some states provide fluoridated water to nearly all of their residents, while other states fall behind.
“Living in a dental health-friendly state can make a world of difference for your mouth and your wallet,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “States that employ a lot of dental health professionals and have low average costs for care are also ideal to live in, giving you more choices at affordable rates.”
To determine where people have the healthiest teeth and gums in the United States, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 different factors related to dental wellness.
The study found that the five states with the best dental health are Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Idaho. The bottom five are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, and Alaska.
Nevada ranked in the middle section of the ranking, scoring in the back half at no. 34 out of 51.
The factors that the study looked at ranged from the share of adolescents who visited a dentist in the past year to dental treatment costs to dentists per capita. Nevada ranked in the middle when it came to the percentage of both adolescents and adults who have visited a dentist in the past year.