How Can Dental Hygiene Affect Your Health?
In terms of your dental care, a healthy routine incorporates a twice-daily minimum cleaning routine alongside a balanced diet and bi-annual dentist visits. Also, cutting back on sugar consumption such as starchy crisps, carbonated drinks and sweets are simple ways you can contribute to the maintenance of good dental and general health. Your oral health should be a key component in your everyday health and hygiene routine!
What are the links between dental hygiene and health?
Generally speaking, some key examples of oral health issues that can exacerbate general health problems include; dental cavities, gum disease and periodontitis. As the mouth is the entrance to the body, respiratory and digestive tracts can be negatively affected by bacteria harboured on the teeth, gums and tongue.
In terms of direct links and how these issues can aggravate one another, dental cavities can trigger respiratory tract infections and even pneumonia due to the constant inhalation of bacteria. Furthermore, gum disease can increase the risk of a whole host of potential health issues, such as; heart disease, diabetes, strokes, Alzheimers, premature birth and even underweight newborns.
Read: 8 Ways to Simplify Your Oral Hygiene Routine
Aches and pains…
Misalignment and issues with the jaw and dental structure can cause aches and pains, headaches and jaw pain. Malocclusion, when teeth do not align properly, can result in severe tooth decay as there is more space for bacteria to grow and develop into plaque. In terms of your general health, a severe malocclusion can cause problems with diet, as eating particular foods may cause physical struggle.
The motion of chewing or talking with a misaligned dental structure can cause severe strain to the jaw and temporomandibular joint, which can lead to headaches, migraines, and even direct individual tooth damage. But unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. The extent of misalignment is vast in terms of general health too. It can lead to back and neck pains, as well as joint and mobility issues – malocclusion can have a knock-on effect throughout the entire body.
Not to mention the psychological burden of the cosmetic side of misalignment, some people may avoid social situations/photographs/ smiling due to negative feelings about the way their teeth look.
Kick the habit
Bad general health habits such as smoking can cause gum disease and tooth decay and even lead to slower healing times after dental surgeries or extractions. This can lead to gum inflammation gingivitis, as well as periodontitis. But what’s the science?
Smoking tobacco negatively affects the body’s oxygen supply, restricting blood flow to the gums and internal organs. This, in turn, results in slower healing and further risk of infection. As well as this, smoking weakens the body’s immune system and creates a more difficult environment for the body to heal and fight off infection, in turn leading to further general health conditions.
Keeping oral hygiene in tip-top condition ensures the protection of our teeth and gums, but also our general health and wellbeing. By downloading the Smiletronix app and completing regular dental scans in order to monitor dental health, catching dental problems early has never been easier. Discover our app below.
