Everybody knows that good oral hygiene is important because it prevents tooth decay and stops you from having bad breath, but those are only a few of the many reasons why it’s so vital. People don’t often realize how much of an impact their dental health has on their overall health and wellbeing, so they do not give it as much attention as they should do. Poor oral hygiene can lead to a whole range of different health issues and if you are not careful, you may cause irreversible damage to your body. These are just some of the reasons why dental health is so important.
Regular dental check-ups and cleanings, along with proper at-home oral care, play a crucial role in maintaining optimal dental health. Seeking professional dental care from trusted clinics like Lux Dental Clinic can provide comprehensive treatments and preventive care, ensuring your dental health is in good hands.
Regular dental check-ups and cleanings, along with proper at-home oral care, play a crucial role in maintaining optimal dental health. Seeking professional dental care from trusted clinics like Lux Dental Clinic can provide comprehensive treatments and preventive care, ensuring your dental health is in good hands.
Mental Health Issues
This is something that people don’t consider when they think about oral health, but it can actually have a big knock on effect on your mental health. When people are feeling low, they are more likely to neglect their hygiene, which is why dental health issues are more common in people that are suffering with depression. But it goes both ways because poor oral hygiene can actually make your mental health issues worse. If you have an anxiety disorder, for example, and you find social situations hard, worrying about the way that you look will only make things worse. Your appearance has a big impact on your self-esteem as well and if you have poor oral hygiene, it can lead to embarrassment and negative feelings about the way that you look. This is why people like to visit a Hollywood smile dental clinic that will make sure they always look sharp and confident. These self-esteem issues will contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression in a big way.
Gut Health
There has been a lot of research into the importance of gut bacteria in the last few years, and the findings show that gut health has a big impact on your overall health, so it’s important that you look after it. There are a lot of things that affect gut bacteria, mainly your diet, but your oral hygiene has a big part to play as well. If you have bad oral hygiene and there is a big buildup of bacteria in your mouth, that bacteria will eventually reach your gut. Unless you manage the bacteria in your mouth, you will have issues with the bacteria in your gut as well. Studies show that poor gut health can lead to issues with weight, mental health problems, and an increased risk of disease, so bad oral hygiene can actually be very dangerous.
Diabetes
If you have diabetes, it’s so important that you look after your dental health properly. Although poor oral hygiene can’t cause diabetes, it does make it a lot harder to manage because gum disease leads to increased blood sugar levels. People that have diabetes are also far more prone to gum disease in the first place, which is why it is essential that they manage their dental health. If you are very susceptible to gum disease, that could be an indication that you are suffering with undiagnosed diabetes, which is why when choosing a dentist, experience matters because a less experienced dentist might miss this link. Your oral health is a window into your overall health, and it can indicate potential problems like diabetes, which is why seeing a dentist is just as important as seeing a doctor.
Pregnancy Complications
When you are pregnant, you need to do everything that you can to avoid any infections that may cause complications with the pregnancy. That’s why dental care is so important during pregnancy. You will already be more susceptible to infections, which means that gum disease is more common. If you do develop gum disease while pregnant, the bacteria may cause complications. For example, gingivitis has been linked to premature births. That’s why you need to take extra care over your dental hygiene if you are pregnant.
If you are trying to conceive, dental health is very important as well. Health problems of any kind make it harder to get pregnant, and studies show that there is a link between poor oral health and difficulty conceiving.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is something that everybody should be aware of as they start to get older, and it’s likely that you will need to make some lifestyle changes to prevent it. It’s common for doctors to recommend a change in your diet and an increase in exercise to reduce your risk of heart disease, but your oral health can be a contributing factor as well. The same bacteria that cause gum disease can also get into your bloodstream. If this happens, you can get a buildup of plaque in your arteries, in much the same way as fat builds up if you have a bad diet. This will significantly increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes if you are not careful.
Respiratory Infections
Infections in the lungs can be very serious, especially in older people, and poor oral health is a major cause. If you have gum disease or bad oral hygiene, your mouth will be filled with harmful bacteria. Every time you breathe in, that bacteria is being taken into your lungs. Over time, it will build up and eventually cause a respiratory infection. Even if you do not have gum disease, some decay on the teeth is enough to cause a respiratory infection in some cases.
These are some of the more serious health problems that can be caused by oral hygiene, and most people are not aware of them. You may think that toothache and bad breath are the worst things that can happen if you don’t look after your dental health but that isn’t the case at all, so make sure that you don’t neglect it.
It’s also important to remember that you only get one set of teeth. If you don’t look after them while you are young, you are far more likely to have problems as you age and you may end up needing replacements. But if you make an effort to improve your dental health now, and you make sure to visit a dentist on a regular basis, you can avoid these serious health issues and make sure that you keep your own teeth for as long as possible.
I definitely try to take care of my teeth and gums. In fact, I saw first hand how teeth problems affected my Mom.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that dental health had such a strong influence on the rest of the body! I'll be sure to share this info with my family.
ReplyDeleteI had heard some of these. I know it can be bad on your heart as well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI know first hand about dental health problems and I ended up in the hospital and came close to dying!! It scared my kids and husband! When I was going through Multiple Myeloma the first time, the disease and the Aredia drip already started on ruining my teeth. They started cracking and falling out. I tried keeping up on my dental care. I brushed with one of the better sensitive toothpaste and gargled with some prescription mouthwash that my doctor prescribed for me. Then when I became a Diabetic, I tried even harder to keep up om taking care of my teeth. It was like a losing battle! I tried to keep the dry mouth under control with Biotene, etc. My teeth still started breaking off and my crowns fell out of my mouth! I constantly had a decay taste in my mouth! I kept getting infections and head and ear aches. What was worse, no dentist did not want to work on my teeth, because of my Compromised immune system and the morphine I am on! Well after much pain and a couple bouts of antibiotics, a dentist talked to a man he went to dentistry school with and talked him into having a consultation with me. I think the man took pity on me. After all the labs, etc. I was in the surgery room having the rest of my teeth removed. As I was in the recovery room, the surgeon told my daughter that it was a tough surgery! That he got as much of my teeth and bone that he could, but there were still fragments of bone that broke off under my gums that he couldn’t get. But they should work their way out eventually and to not be shocked by the way my jaw is going to look! She took pictures a couple of days later and it looked like someone beat the crap out of me! Shards of bone kept coming out. I still don’t have my dentures! My gums haven’t healed enough for them. I shared all this, because oral care is so important!! Plus like you pointed out, there can be a whole domino effect. Even though none of this was my fault, save yourself the pain!! I wish I could share a couple of my jaw pictures. I definitely pinned this! Thank you for sharing this Important information!
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