Are You Aware Your Overall Health Relies on Your Dental Health for Well-Being?
(Dental health affects overall health? This isn’t a joke but is a reality everyone needs to believe. Don’t know much about it? Please continue reading to educate yourself.)
Do not assume everything going through your mouth merely fills your tummy to satisfy your dietary requirements. Your overall health relies on your dental health for its well-being besides your entire body. Eat a well-managed diet, and your body reacts by making you appear healthy. On the other hand, use the wrong products in your diet or neglect your dental health. Your overall health reacts adversely, making you vulnerable to various health conditions besides requesting help from the dentist near me to care for your oral health.
Would you know your oral health provides indicators about your overall health or problems with your mouth and also affect your entire body? We are confident you have never considered the possibility, thinking the primary function of your mouth is to provide food for your body. We strongly suggest you change your thinking and protect yourself by learning more about the link between your dental and overall health
How Does Poor Dental Health Impact Your Overall Health?
Your mouth is full of bacteria like other parts of your body. Most bacteria in your mouth are harmless. However, your mouth is a getaway to be digestive and respiratory tracts, and some bacteria cause disease in the body.
When you do not follow the instructions of the Holmdel dentist and use the natural defenses of your body by maintaining excellent oral hygiene, you allow the bacteria to cause infections in your mouth like tooth decay and gum disease.
Reduction in saliva flow by taking medications such as decongestants, painkillers, antihistamines, diuretics, and antidepressants prevents washing away food or neutralizing acids produced by bacteria. The lack of saliva in your mouth helps microbes to multiply and cause disease.
Research suggests oral bacteria and the inflammation associated with advanced periodontitis may have a role to play in some conditions. Some diseases like diabetes and HIV/AIDS lower your body’s resistance to infections aggravating oral health problems.
What Are Oral Health Conditions Linked to Dental Health?
Your dental health might contribute to various health problems and conditions such as:
- Endocarditis: Endocarditis infecting the inner lining of your heart chambers or valves results from
bacteria and microorganisms from other parts of your body, like your mouth spreading through
your bloodstream and attaching themselves to some areas of the heart. - Cardiovascular Disease: Oral bacteria can also cause clogged arteries and stroke from infections in the mouth besides
heart disease. However, a connection between the two has yet to prove conclusive. - Pregnancy and Premature Birth: Premature and low birth
weight have a link to periodontitis. - Pneumonia: Some bacteria in your mouth can enter the
lungs causing pneumonia and other respiratory conditions.
Besides the above, some conditions affect the body but also impact your dental health. They are:
- Diabetes: Diabetes reduces your body’s resistance to infection, putting your gums at risk. People with periodontitis are prone to severe gum disease and confront problems managing their blood sugar levels.
Research points out maintaining appropriate periodontal care helps improve diabetes control. - HIV/AIDS: People affected by HIV/AIDS are also victims of oral problems such
as mucosal lesions of the painful variety - Osteoporosis: Periodontal bone and tooth loss also results in osteoporosis, a bone-weakening disease.
Medications provided for treating osteoporosis also have a risk of damaging the jawbone. - Alzheimer’s Disease: Oral health worsening is an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease progressing.
Other issues with links to oral health include eating disorders, certain cancers, immune system disorder causing a dry mouth, and rheumatoid authorities
If you have recently suffered an illness or developed chronic conditions like diabetes, you must keep your dentist informed about the medications you take to ensure they offer any help you need to keep your dental health in a prime condition.
How the Protect Your Dental Health?
Protecting your dental health shouldn’t be a challenge if you follow your dentist’s instructions to the word. However, the following tips also help to maintain dental health in excellent condition:
- Brush your teeth twice daily in the
morning and night with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. - Floss without exceptions every day.
- Use an antiseptic mouthwash to remove food particles after brushing and flossing.
- Have a healthy diet avoiding sugary and starchy foods.
- Avoid tobacco use in any form.
Schedule regular dental appointments with the dentist in Holmdel, NJ, for checkups and cleanings. Contact the dentist complete if you develop any dental health issues to ensure it doesn’t spread and affect your overall health.