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How Your Teeth Affect Your Overall Health

How Your Teeth Affect Your Overall Health

Oral health can be an overlooked subject, even for people who want excellent overall health. In reality, oral health is the window to the overall health of people. It means that you have to give more importance to your oral health than your other organs and body parts.

Your oral health can give important clues about your overall health and help you to advance the quality of your life. Several studies have proved that dental health issues can lead to many severe health conditions.

Additionally, people with bad oral health find it difficult to socialise with people. They often experience bad breath and many other dental issues that stop them from interacting with others.

Consequences Of Poor Oral Health

It can land you into emergency dental situations where you search for 24 hour dentists near you. Poor oral health can lead to various diseases or make existing health conditions severe. Some of the major health issues that can develop due to poor oral health include the following:

Cardiovascular Disease

Your oral health can directly contribute to heart disease. The bacteria and other microbes in your mouth, due to periodontal or other gum diseases, can access your bloodstream and reach your heart by travelling through arteries. The bacteria produce plaque on the inner walls of arteries and lead to atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a critical heart condition where the arteries experience reduced blood flow due to the thickening walls. It weakens the heart and leads to stroke and heart attack. The oral bacteria can also infect the inner linings of your heart and lead to an inflamed condition called endocarditis.

Diabetic Complications

Diabetic Complications

Gum diseases, including periodontal disease, can worsen your diabetes. Researches have confirmed that gum infection can affect the capacity for humans to control the sugar level in their blood.

Similarly, people with diabetes have higher chances of developing gum infections as well. The high glucose level in blood creates favourable conditions for bacteria to grow in the mouth. Therefore, diabetic patients should take extra care of dental issues and ensure a high level of dental hygiene.

Respiratory Infections

Do you know COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is one of the leading reasons for death around the globe? This critical lung disease caused 3.2 million deaths in 2015, and almost 2.5 percent of the global population is affected by it.

Your gum disease can intensify COPD, and good dental care and hygiene can minimise your risks towards the deadly lung disease. Gum disease patients inhale the oral bacteria to the lungs, and it affects the capacity of lungs to fight off the respiratory pathogens. Also, the bacteria can damage the linings of the lungs and make it less efficient.

Dementia

People who have poor oral hygiene also showcase greater risks of dementia conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Lipopolysaccharides, the gum disease bacteria, enter the bloodstream through the daily activities of patients, such as eating and brushing.

Later, the blood carries the bacteria to all parts of the human body, including the brain. In the brain, the bacteria can trigger an immune response and kill the brain cells. The immune response can also make changes in the human brain and create symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, such as deteriorating memory and confusion.

Premature Birth

Researchers concluded that pregnant women with periodontal disease have a high chance of delivering a baby prematurely. In addition, the babies showcase low birth weight and may experience severe health conditions, including issues with hearing and eyesight, cerebral palsy, and much more.

The gum bacteria access the bloodstream while brushing and eating and reach the placenta through the bloodstream. It affects the growth and development of the baby. Similarly, the bacteria can also trigger the early delivery signals and lead to preterm delivery. Therefore, pregnant women should ensure that they follow proper oral hygiene to save their babies and themselves.

Dental Issues Caused By Overall Health Conditions

While poor oral health leads to many other diseases, various overall health conditions can also contribute to dental diseases. Some of the major diseases that cause dental issues are the following:

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weak and brittle. Researches confirm that osteoporosis patients may struggle with various oral health issues as well. It can damage the jawbones, cause gum diseases, and lead to loss of teeth.

Due to the low bone density in the jaw, patients may experience several complex dental conditions. Osteoporosis patients should go for regular dental check-ups and follow a healthy lifestyle to ensure proper bone health.

HIV/AIDS

Studies show that people who live with HIV/AIDS have a high chance of experiencing dental infections. HIV weakens the immune system of the patient and makes the body susceptible to various diseases and health conditions, including oral issues.

People with HIV can experience many oral issues, including dry mouth, red band gingivitis, mouth ulcers, ulcerative periodontitis, canker sores, and much more. The patients also face high pain, and they should follow proper dental hygiene and visit dentists regularly.

As discussed earlier, diabetes can increase the risks of oral health. Similarly, people with Alzheimer’s disease show worsening oral health with the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Tips For Good Dental Health

By following some hygienic practices and dental care initiatives, you can ensure excellent oral health. It can improve your quality of living as good oral hygiene contributes to your overall health.

Brush Your Mouth Two Times A Day

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Portrait of pretty young blonde woman cleaning her teeth.

You should brush all parts of your mouth, including teeth, gums, and tongue. Keep the bristles of your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and brush both teeth and gums thoroughly. Apply back and forth strokes and up and down movements for effective cleaning of all the parts of your teeth and gums.

You can also repeat the action in the inner surfaces of your gums and teeth for total cleaning. Finally, you should brush your tongue, as well as the roof of your mouth. By brushing twice a day, you can avoid oral bacteria and get rid of various dental issues.

Floss Regularly

While brushing can clean the surface of teeth, it does not clean the space between teeth effectively. You can ensure those spaces will be clean by flossing at least once a day. Flossing removes the food residue and bacteria stuck between the teeth and helps you to achieve improved oral health.

While flossing, you should make sure that you use newer sections of the floss to clean the space between different teeth. It avoids the bacteria being reinserted to other sections of teeth.

A Teeth-Friendly Diet

Your diet has an important role in the development and health of your mouth. Your food should supply calcium, phosphorous, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals for the growth and development of your teeth and gums.

Include sufficient quantities of fruits, nuts, chicken, cheese, and vegetables for your oral health. Did you know that cheese can induce your salivary glands to produce more saliva? It can help you to remove bacteria from your mouth and ensure better oral health.

Additionally, avoiding eating sweets and the use of tobacco can help you to improve your oral health. Note that an excessive intake of alcohol and soda can deplete the calcium levels of your body and give you various dental issues.

Regular Visits To Dentist

During dental visits, your dentist will examine issues and cavities and take X-rays if needed. They will also check your tongue, face, throat, and neck to trace any redness, swelling, or possible signs of cancer. Regular dental visits can help you identify the signs of various diseases and assure you an early, complete recovery.

Additionally, your dentist will clean your teeth professionally and remove any plaque and tartar from the teeth. You can’t remove tartar by brushing and flossing. Dentists remove tartar using specialised tools and polish your teeth to improve the aesthetics of your face.

People who have a healthy mouth should go for dental visits once every six months. Regular dental visits can also help you to be free of emergency dental care requirements.

Holistic Dentistry

In recent decades, a new branch of dentistry formed called holistic density. It focuses on providing complete oral health solutions to achieve overall health of people.

Holistic dentistry defines that teeth, gums, and tongue are integral parts of human body, and any oral health issues can damage the overall health of the individual as well. These dental programs are designed to prevent oral issues through smarter ways than receiving treatment after the development of symptoms. As a leading group of emergency dentists in Toorak, Care Family Dental offers excellent holistic dentistry solutions to the patients.

Conclusion

It is important to note that your oral health can influence your overall health. If you take care of your oral health, you can avoid many serious health issues, such as stroke, dementia, heart issues, diabetes, and much more.

Similarly, people with health conditions have higher chances of developing dental issues like gum diseases. This means that people with health issues should take extra oral care to avoid any dental issues. With oral hygienic steps such as brushing twice a day, flossing, and rinsing after every meal, you can ensure good oral health.

You can also follow a teeth-friendly diet and go for book an appointment with your dentist every six months to maintain optimal oral health. Oral health is crucial to the quality of your life.

At Care Family Dental Toorak, we offer a wide range of general dental as well as cosmetic dental services. We have helped many patients improve their appearance and confidence through mending and fixing broken, chipped, rotting, and unwanted teeth.  Care Family Dental is your choice for an affordable dentist in Toorak, providing quality care that fits your budget.

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