Many people are unaware of the importance of oral health and ignore it until they fall into some serious health issues. Many people think that oral health has no relation to their overall health, as they are perceived to be two separate things.
In reality, it is the wrong perception, as oral issues like gum disease can lead to critical health conditions. Therefore, people who want excellent overall health should also give priority to dental care.
Do you know that the oral health can give clear indications about your overall health? Routine saliva tests help you to trace environmental toxins, hepatitis, and various hormones in your body. It can also provide clues about osteoporosis in men and bone density loss in women. Saliva tests are also useful in detecting various types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer, oral cancer, and breast cancer.
Role Of The Dental Health In Your Overall Health
Your mouth has many microbes, including bacteria and viruses, but most of them are harmless when you regularly maintain your dental hygiene. With proper dental care, including daily brushing and flossing, you can control harmful bacteria. Even your body’s natural defence helps you to fight the bacteria and control it.
However, the absence of proper oral hygiene can lead to various oral conditions, such as gum disease and tooth decay. Some medications, such as painkillers, antihistamines, diuretics, and more, reduce the natural defence of the human body as well as the rate of saliva flow. Both can add vulnerability to oral health and affect the overall health.
Do you know that your saliva removes the accumulation of viruses and bacteria in your mouth? It neutralises the acids that are present in your foods as well as drinks, and helps you to protect your soft tissues and teeth from damages.
Researches have shown that inflammation due to periodontitis and oral bacteria can lead to many diseases. Periodontitis is a severe gum disease that can even destroy the jawbone of the patient. It can lead to the loss of teeth and cause damage to the gums.
You should note that poor oral hygiene is the primary reason for periodontitis. Diseases like HIV/AIDS and diabetes can also reduce the resistance of the human body and make oral problems severe.
It means that your overall health and oral health are interlinked, and any issues with your mouth can affect your overall health and vice versa.
Diseases Linked To Poor Oral Health
Poor oral health can lead to a number of severe health conditions. Some major health issues that develop due to the absence of good oral health include the following:
Cardiovascular Disease
Some studies have linked poor oral health conditions to heart disease. The studies conclude that the bacteria from periodontal disease, as well as inflammation of gums, can enter the bloodstreams of humans and reach the heart through arteries and cause atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which the development of plaque hardens the inner walls of arteries. It can lead to a reduced rate of blood flow through the arteries. It can also increase the risks of stroke and heart attack.
Bacteria and other microbes can also infect the inner layers of the heart and lead to endocarditis. This is a condition that affects the health of your heart and causes muscle pain, unintentional weight loss, enlarged spleen, pale skin, and much more. Do you know endocarditis can affect the functioning of other organs, including brain, lungs, kidney, and bones?
Diabetic Complications
Gum diseases and inflammation can make your diabetic conditions more complicated. Periodontal inflammation in particular can cause a constant systemic inflammatory state, and that makes it harder to balance blood glucose levels.
Similarly, people who struggle with diabetes have a higher chance of being susceptible to periodontal disease. It means that people with diabetes should give proper dental care to avoid the complex periodontal disease.
Respiratory Infections
Several studies have showcased how gum disease can make the condition of your lungs vulnerable. It can worsen the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD and lead to bronchitis, pneumonia, and emphysema.
Researches suggest that the inhalation of droplets from the mouth gives access to microbes to the lungs that can lead to various lung diseases. Oral bacteria in particular can cause periodontal disease easily by entering the lower respiratory tract and lead to serious respiratory infections.
Dementia
A 2017 Taiwanese study confirmed that people who have experienced chronic periodontitis for over ten years have 70 percent more risk of getting dementia. Furthermore, it can also make any existing dementia worse and lead on to Alzheimer’s disease.
Lipopolysaccharide, the gum disease bacteria, enters a person’s bloodstream through their daily activities, such as brushing, eating, and chewing. Once it has entered the bloodstream, the blood will carry it to different parts of the body, including the brain.
The bacteria can create an immune system response in the brain cells of the patient and kill the cells. This will create the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, such as deteriorating memory and confusion in people.
Preterm Birth
Severe gum disease can also lead to risks such as preterm delivery as well as low birth weight for the baby. You should know that almost 70 percent of women experience some form of gingivitis inflammation during their pregnancy. It is mainly due to the changes in the hormone levels of the mother during different stages of the pregnancy.
When it comes to women with severe gum disease, their oral bacteria releases toxins that can reach placenta through a woman’s bloodstream and affect the growth of the foetus. It also induces the labour-triggering substances of the mother early and leads to premature birth.
Therefore, extra oral care for pregnant women is important to ensure the growth and development of their child as well.
How To Ensure Proper Oral Health
Many people do not know how to ensure proper oral health that can affect their overall health. With a number of dental care tips, you can ensure excellent oral health for life.
Brush Twice A Day
Gum disease and tooth decay are the dental biggest problems you can avoid by properly brushing two times a day. While brushing, you should pick the right brush and should brush for at least two minutes. People can use brushes with small bristles and head as the bristles can reach even molars and clean it thoroughly.
Having an accurate brushing procedure is important to ensure proper cleaning. You should start brushing your gums and teeth at 45-degree angle with short back and forth strokes. Also, hold the brush vertically and apply shorter strokes several times to remove the plaque build-up.
Floss Daily
Flossing your mouth daily is an excellent dental care tip to avoid plaque build-up between teeth. Use an 18-inch dental floss to remove debris between teeth and clean it. While flossing, you should use fresh areas of floss for each tooth to avoid reinsertion of bacteria into other teeth.
Rinse After Every Meal
Rinsing your mouth using an antibacterial rinse after every meal can also prevent various dental problems. You can also use sugar-free chewing gums after meals to ensure the increased flow of saliva. The saliva can wash the bacteria and protect your teeth and gums from any infection or acid attack.
Healthy Diet
Choosing a healthy diet that supplies all the necessary nutrients and minerals required for your teeth and gums is critical to your oral health. You should consume lean proteins and dairy products to supply calcium, phosphorous, and protein for healthy gum and teeth development.
Your diet should have sufficient fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains to ensure proper oral health. Drinking water after every meal and replacing sugary drinks with non-sugary drinks will help you to clean your mouth and protect your teeth from decay.
Regular Dental Check-Ups
Dental specialists recommend regular dental check-ups for healthy individuals without any dental issues at least once every six months. People who face oral problems like gum disease should consult with their dentist more often. During these dental check-ups, your dentist will remove the plaque build-up and treat for any dental issues.
They can trace the early signs of gum disease, dental decay, oral cancer, interactions with medications, tooth grinding issues, sensitive tooth, and much more.
Holistic Dentistry
In recent years, a new branch of dentistry is being developed called holistic dentistry. It works towards total oral care for overall health and wellbeing. Sunshine Dental Group have a few dental clinics across Melbourne that offer advanced holistic dental care. So if you are wondering “Do any clinics provide holistic dental care near me?”, then our clinics can help you prevent dental problems early on.
Holistic dentistry considers that the teeth and mouth are interconnected with other organs in the human body, and any oral issue can affect other organs as well. Through holistic dentistry, Dentist Port Melbourne can offer an action plan to ensure the excellent oral health, including education for good oral hygiene.
Conclusion
It is always great to take steps to prevent things from going wrong, and this is especially true in the case of dental care. Good dental hygiene and care can ensure you a quality life.
