Do you know that the most important reason to maintain good dental hygiene has less to do with your teeth? That’s because your dental hygiene can have a profound impact on your overall body.
Recently, on October 18, a vibrant display of purple lights filled the Civic Center of San Francisco, marking a prominent visual celebration of National Dental Hygiene Month. It’s to emphasize the importance of dental hygiene and create more awareness among the public.
After all, your oral health indicates some crucial clues about your overall health. However, when we speak of dental hygiene, we refer to keeping our teeth and other mouth structures free from decay and infections. On the contrary, people with poor dental hygiene suffer from serious mouth problems.
And this includes severe tooth loss, cavities, and gum diseases. It further leads to painful infections and problems with speaking and eating, let alone a decline in overall health.
So, if you’re wondering how your dental hygiene impacts your emotional and physical well-being, read on. This article will discuss the five reasons dental hygiene is important and how it helps you stay fit.
- Early Disease Detection
If you take your dental hygiene seriously, you will never avoid visiting your dentist regularly. Since mouth structures and dental conditions vary for each individual, a regular visit to the dentist helps in the early detection of dental problems and other diseases. Moreover, it enables your dentist to create a unique treatment plan according to your needs.
Likewise, if you’re looking for dental implants, search for a dentist nearby so visiting them again isn’t a hassle. For instance, if you’re in San Francisco, look up ‘All-on-4 Dental Implants in San Francisco Near Me’ and visit the professionals whenever you want.
Most importantly, a thorough examination by your dentist can easily detect the problems and diseases like vitamin deficiencies, diabetes, tooth grinding, heart problems, oral cancers, dementia, and more.
- Prevent Tooth Loss
Another reason not to neglect your dental hygiene is to prevent tooth loss. Unfortunately, it is one of the most common dental problems resulting from poor dental hygiene faced by adults and children alike.
When plaque buildup on your teeth, it leads to severe gum infection, tooth decay, and eventually tooth loss. However, one way to avoid it is to ensure regular brushing and flossing. It helps in reducing plaque buildup, at least to some extent.
But regular flossing and brushing are insufficient to ensure top-quality dental hygiene. So, with that, you must also visit your dentist at least twice a year for deep cleaning. It’ll not only help keep your gum and teeth plaque and tarter-free but also help you keep track of other oral diseases.
- Reduce the Risk of Cancer
Many studies have suggested that people with poor dental hygiene, particularly gum diseases, are more prone to developing cancer. Moreover, oral diseases affect approximately 3.5 billion people worldwide.
People with poor dental hygiene are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, followed by gallbladder, lung, and skin cancer. However, these conditions are largely preventable with good dental hygiene. Moreover, avoiding inadequate exposure to fluoride, food, and beverages with high sugar content, as well as alcohol and tobacco, also helps prevent cancer risk.
Similarly, other health conditions that indicate poor dental hygiene and risk of developing cancer include eating disorders, immune system disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and others. Thus, it is important to visit your dentist and discuss with them the medications you take and the changes in your overall health to avoid suffering from chronic illnesses in the future.
- Have a Brighter and Whiter Smile
Are you confident about flashing those pearly whites? If not, you need to take care of your dental hygiene. To have a whiter and brighter smile, you must practice good oral hygiene regularly.
When you have your teeth plaque-free, it helps you smile confidently. While stained teeth pose no harm and have little impact on your teeth’ health, they may make you self-conscious. However, these stains can be removed by ensuring regular cleaning.
Or, in case of stubborn stains, it is recommended to go for expert care. People who neglect dental cleaning suffer from the buildup of plaque, let alone bad breath. All of this not only affects your personality but also leads to low confidence. However, you can avoid this by making small changes in your routine, like rinsing your mouth thoroughly with water after meals or using mouthwash after flossing and brushing.
- Prevent Respiratory Conditions
There’s a clear link between respiratory diseases and poor dental health. When you suffer from periodontal diseases, this disease allows bacteria to travel into your bloodstream and eventually to your lungs. In this case, the bacteria can directly impact your respiratory system and cause severe respiratory conditions.
For instance, when bacteria affect your respiratory system, it puts you at a greater risk of chronic pneumonia or even acute bronchitis. In a healthy mouth, approximately 700 different bacteria exist in balance. While some bacteria are good for your health, others can be harmful.
When harmful bacteria grow uncontrollably, it poses problems for gums, teeth, and the rest of your mouth. Moreover, when you leave gingivitis and cavities untreated, this bacterium accumulates and affects your overall body, including your heart and lungs. Therefore, the only way to prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria is to practice good dental hygiene and visit your dental hygienist regularly.
Conclusion
Keeping track of your dental hygiene prevents you from various oral diseases and acute illnesses like cancer.
All you need to make your teeth last a lifetime is to brush them twice a day, floss daily, and see your dentist every six months for dental cleanings. Moreover, keep a check on your diet. Keep sugar intake to a minimum, reduce alcohol consumption, and avoid tobacco use, including smoking.
After all, your dental hygiene not only plays a critical role in preserving your oral health but also your overall health.
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