How dental hygiene affects overall health?
Good oral hygiene is important as it will help your teeth to stay strong, allowing you to keep them as you age and enjoy consuming a wide variety of foods.
Of course, neglecting your oral hygiene will increase the chance of tooth decay and it can lead to bad breath, which is not desirable in any situation.
In short, you need to look after your teeth.
Oral Hygiene
It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to look after your teeth and oral health. You need to brush for at least two minutes twice a day. However, it is important that you don’t brush too hard, this can actually damage your gums.
You also need to floss after brushing and can use mouthwash, if you wish. Perhaps most importantly, you need to book regular appointments with a good holistic dentist in Brisbane, or wherever you live.
The Bigger Picture
Aside from looking after your teeth, good dental hygiene can also help you to reduce the risk of several diseases, including Alzheimer’s, some types of cancer, and heart disease.
But even that is not the whole picture! Just one swab of saliva from your mouth can tell a doctor a huge amount of information about your overall health.
The Power Of Saliva
Saliva is very easy to collect and test, this makes it great for children and adults. Once a swab has been taken it can be analyzed for a variety of issues, including cortisol, (the stress hormone), levels.
This is often used in newborn children but can also be used in adults as it will show your stress levels. Elevated stress levels inhibit the production of other hormones in your body and can cause a variety of health issues.
You may also be surprised to learn that saliva contains traces of bone-specific proteins, these can help determine if you’re at risk of osteoporosis.
It is even possible to detect the presence of some cancer cells in your saliva.
Saliva is the substance of choice when testing for drugs, toxins, HIV infection, hormones, and even antibodies. The great thing is that you can actually get test kits and check your levels at home. Of course, a proper diagnosis can only be given by a qualified doctor.
The Mouth As A Window
It’s not just your saliva that can be helpful. Mouth lesions, receding gums, gum disease, loose teeth and obvious signs of decay can all point at other issues within your body. For example, HIV and diabetes can both be detected via oral symptoms prior to any physical sign on your body.
The problem is that your moth is literally a window to your body. The teeth and gums have blood vessels going directly to them. Any cut in your mouth or access point through decayed teeth and gum disease provides the bacteria in your mouth with an entry point to your bloodstream.
In most cases, the bacteria will be wiped out by your immune system. But, if you’re immune system is low or damaged then these bacteria can quickly multiply and cause a real issue.
As already mentioned, links between poor oral health and cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s have already been established. But, research is ongoing, who knows what else they may find?
Final Thoughts
While more research is needed to confirm that gum disease and other oral health issues cause these diseases, it is already certain that they are a contributory factor.
If you haven’t already booked a dental check-up, it’s time you did. Plus, you need to start taking your oral hygiene more seriously, your health actually depends on it.
