Most people often treat their teeth as distinct from their overall health. They may consider a tooth problem to be an isolated incident, perhaps because they don’t floss regularly enough, or don’t use mouthwash.
However, poor dental health can often be symptomatic of poor health throughout the whole body. Problems with the mouth, teeth and gums, often indicate a whole host of other health issues. But it also works the other way – maintaining great oral hygiene and looking after your teeth can promote good health all over the body.
Oral Health = Overall Health
One of the most common oral health maladies is gum disease. Most people ignore their symptoms of gum disease, assuming they’ll pass on their own. Symptoms include red inflamed gums, and bleeding gums when brushing teeth or eating tough fibrous foods, like apples.
Most often gum disease symptoms pass in a subject who maintains good oral hygiene. However, although the symptoms may pass, there is no cure for gum disease. When symptoms reoccur, it can be symptomatic of poor ill health overall.
Gum disease is a disease of inflammation; because of how it affects gums, it allows hostile bacterium to permeate the gums, and then enter the bloodstream. This can then cause inflammation in other parts of the body like the heart.
Gum disease has been linked to a whole range of other illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and arthritis. People with gum disease are three times as likely to have a stroke and have double the risk of experiencing a heart attack than those do who have no gum disease at all.
It’s clear the poor oral hygiene contributes to poor health, but it is also a symptom of it. Although its hard to say which comes first, poor oral health or poor physical health, much like the chicken and the egg, it’s obvious that maintaining good oral hygiene is beneficial for health overall.
Good Oral Hygiene = Better Self-Esteem
Lots of young people today suffer from poor self-esteem. It’s been shown that poor self-esteem can have a detrimental effect on a whole host of key wellness indicators. Lacking confidence can stop young people getting the career they want, or pursuing the positive, nurturing relationships they want.
It’s been shown that over one-third of young Americans feel less confident about smiling because of their overall oral hygiene. Sadly, this will impact on their self-esteem and how they will live their lives. Over 80% of people consider bright, straight teeth to be a factor in an individual’s success.
Good oral hygiene not only improves your physical well-being but also improves your self-esteem – and your opportunities.
How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy
Now we all know how important good oral hygiene is to improve your health, your esteem and your prospects, here are our top tips on how to maintain great oral hygiene.
- Visit the Dentist
Regular dental check-ups are so important to good oral hygiene, just to make sure everything’s okay and to catch small problems before they get worse.
Dentists will help treat everything from gum disease, to fitting braces with Invisalign to fix your smile without the train tracks. This website from Richmond Orthodontist will help you learn more about Invisalign, invisible braces.
- Ditch Fizzy Drinks & Sugar
Fizzy drinks and sugary snacks may be delicious, but they’re trouble for your teeth. Fizzy drinks can cause enamel to erode, allowing gum disease to develop, and sugary snacks increase the proclivity of teeth to erosion.
Ditch the sweet stuff to keep your oral hygiene rocking.
- Get A Serious Toothbrush
It’s not a trick that your dentist is playing on you, and for once adverts may just be telling the truth – an electric toothbrush really is the business when it comes to oral hygiene.
Not only will they improve the overall brightness of your teeth, they’ll reduce the risk and symptoms of gum disease. It’s a win-win!
Very Informative article to maintain the Oral Hygiene as it covers all the topics related to Dental Care.
Thank you for such a great work.