The surprising connections you never knew! Your healthy smile is not only a reflection of healthy teeth but a healthy body, too! With the ocean of knowledge available over the internet, and access to the best healthcare facilities, people adapt to healthier lifestyles. Because who does not want to live a long life? While you are still learning ways to keep health problems at bay, it is crucial that you know that your dental health has a significant effect on your overall health.
Poor oral health not only harms your teeth and gums, but studies have shown its adverse impact on your body, such as diabetes, heart diseases, and even cancer. Healthy teeth are essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle; however, it is a lifelong commitment. The sooner you master proper oral hygiene habits, the easier it is to maintain good dental health, avoid expensive dental treatments and other health issues. So, to get a clear picture of why oral health is so essential for your body, let us delve into some mind-blowing facts.
Dental Health and Overall Health- What is the Relation?
Your mouth and body harbor good and harmful bacteria. If cleanliness and hygiene are not maintained, the bad bacteria invade your immunity system in any part of the body, making you fall prey to many diseases.
Your mouth is the ultimate entryway for bacteria and diseases. Eating and drinking or smoking can increase the influx of germs leading them into the respiratory and digestive tracts through the oral cavity, damaging your dental health on their way down. Proper brushing, flossing, healthy eating and drinking ensure that these culprits are rinsed and cleansed of the mouth before they can cause any harm.
Usually, the body’s immune system and good oral hygiene habits keep you healthy. However, at times there can be other contributing factors beyond human control. Certain medications and health conditions like pregnancy can deteriorate dental health and elevate the level of bacteria leading to oral infections, tooth decay, gum diseases, and other health issues.
Medications such as decongestants, certain painkillers, and antidepressants can adversely affect salivary production, leading to a dry mouth. Saliva plays the most essential role in washing away food debris and bacteria and neutralizing the acids produced by them, protecting your mouth and body from the repercussions of harmful microbes. Therefore, it is simple to understand that low salivary flow increases dental health and overall health problems.
Some people, especially pregnant women, are prone to gum diseases (periodontal problems.) Studies have shown that gum disease-causing bacteria can play a role in further deteriorating health conditions such as diabetes and infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. It happens because such bacteria make the body prone to infections by lowering the natural defense mechanism. Hence, even the existing health conditions can exponentially worsen with poor oral or dental health.
Dental Health Issues and Their Effects on Overall Health
Poor dental health is linked to many long-term health issues. Therefore, here is a list of some of them to know that neglecting your oral health is much more than costly and painful dental procedures.
Endocarditis:
This is a heart-related infection. It occurs when germs from your mouth or other parts of the body enter the heart via the bloodstream. It weakens the inner lining of the heart valve or chambers, making it weak and compromising its function. It usually occurs when the infected blood from the mouth, especially after a tooth removal (extraction,) enters the body’s blood flow.
Heart Diseases:
Researches have shown that certain bacteria from the oral cavity are found in the heart’s clogged arteries that highly increase the risk of stroke. However, this connection is vague, and there are ongoing studies to make the connection clearer.
Pregnancy and Birth Complications:
You must have heard pregnant women complaining that their gums and teeth have become weak once they conceived. The gum disease-causing bacteria increases during the pregnancy period. Studies suggest that periodontitis is somewhat related to premature and underweight births.
Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections:
The oral cavity is connected to the respiratory tract. Therefore, certain bacteria can easily make their way into the lungs, causing pneumonia and other respiratory problems.
Overall Health Issues and Their Effects on Dental Health
Now that we have talked about how poor dental health can adversely affect your overall health, it is time to look at the other side of the picture. It is not always your oral bacteria at fault. Certain health conditions can also harm your perfect dental health, such as:
Diabetes:
People often label diabetes as a “sweet and slow poison.” They are not wrong. Diabetes weakens the immune system and increases the risk of infections. Studies have shown that diabetic people are most likely to experience gum diseases, such as bleeding gums and inflammation that deteriorates dental health.
HIV/AIDS:
People with AIDS are often considered dangerous, as they are contagious. This infection spreads from one person to the other; it also spreads from one part of the body to the other, especially the mouth. People with HIV infections are at a higher risk of oral and mucosal lesions.
Osteoporosis and Bone Problems:
This bone-related disease harms every bone in the body, including the periodontal bone leading to dental health problems such as tooth loss. Some of the drugs used in the treatment of bone problems pose some risk to the jaw bone.
Alzheimer’s disease or other Mental Health Problems:
People with seizures or mental disorders are least likely to maintain good oral hygiene. The drugs used for their treatment worsen dental health.
Things You Can Do to Improve Your Dental and Overall Health
Here are a few tips and tricks that can keep you healthy because dental health equals overall health!
*Practice good oral hygiene with proper brushing and flossing
*Use mouthwash to rinse off the food debris and bacteria
*Avoid sticky and sugary foods
*Avoid carbonated drinks
*Avoid tobacco use and smoking
*If you have diabetes, keep the blood sugar levels in control
*If you have any other medical condition, take extra care of yourself
*Pay regular visits to your dentist and doctor to live a healthy life
Healthy Teeth, Healthy Life
Now that you know good dental health is crucial to a healthy lifestyle, it is high time you start practicing good oral hygiene habits. Take care of your teeth, so they take care of your body!
