5 Benefits Of Good Dental Hygiene

Good Dental Hygiene Will Boost Your Health 5 Ways

Are you neglecting your teeth? A recent trip to the dentist taught us better dental hygiene was needed. Did you know that having good dental hygiene goes beyond having pearly white teeth? It‘s an essential part of your overall hygiene routine as a child and an adult.

Furthermore, failing to attend to your gums and teeth does not only result in common cases like halitosis or tooth decay. This can increase the risk of health conditions like pregnancy, diabetes, and heart disease. That’s why you must prioritize your oral hygiene in your daily routine and visit the dental clinic like the dentist in Marietta for check-ups, you are caring for your teeth, gums, and general health. This article will discuss several ways having good dental hygiene can boost your health.

5 Health Benefits of Good Dental Hygiene

Good dental hygiene helps you prevent gum disease and tooth decay, a common phenomenon among more and more adults worldwide. Despite the vast array of knowledge on the benefits of brushing the teeth and maintaining good oral hygiene, only a few people follow up on their dental health. To help you make that decision, here are some health benefits of having good dental hygiene.

1. Good Dental Hygiene Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Maintaining good dental hygiene can reduce your likelihood of getting cardiovascular diseases. Periodontal disease is a type of disease that causes inflammation and infection of the gums. When the gum is inflamed, oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream, resulting in inflammation in other parts of the body. This systemic inflammation may result in atherosclerosis, which is what happens when plaques gradually fill up your arteries and cause them to narrow, leading to a heart attack/stroke

Studies show that having gum disease can increase your risk of heart attack by almost 50%. Therefore, you must take precautions against gum disease and maintain good dental hygiene. Brush your teeth twice daily, and do your flossing regularly. You can also visit the dentist regularly to help lower the chances of severe conditions like heart attack or stroke.

2. Good Dental Hygiene is Imperative For Diabetic Management

Diabetic people are quite susceptible to infections and have a greater risk of contracting various diseases because their immune system is down. If you have diabetes and you don’t take good care of your teeth and gums, you risk getting gum disease. You should know that gum disease and diabetes have a two-way relationship.

Diabetes causes blood sugar levels to rise, causing plaque buildup and bacteria growth, leading to infections like gum disease. On the other hand, gum disease can make it difficult for the body to regulate and control the body’s glucose. Taking your dental hygiene seriously does not only assist gum disease prevention but also improves diabetic condition management. Regular visits to a dentist and a proper homecare routine can help end this cycle of inflammation and infection, thereby facilitating better management of diabetic cases.

3. Good Dental Hygiene Reduces Respiratory Issues

Your blood isn’t the only pathway for bacteria to enter your body through your mouth; they can also do so via your lungs. The mouth serves as an entryway into the respiratory tract. Therefore, poor oral hygiene could lead to respiratory complications if bacteria build up in your mouth. The bacteria can make their way to your lungs via inhalation, mainly when you’re asleep or if you have dysphagia.

Moreover, these bacteria may cause respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, or COPD, when aspirated into the lungs. The risk is even higher in older adults with weakened immune systems and people with pre-existing respiratory conditions. For instance, poor dental hygiene has been identified through research as a risk factor for the contracting of aspiration pneumonia, which may be fatal among the frail, such as older adults in nursing homes.

Furthermore, you can reduce the bacteria in your mouth through simple brushing and flossing. This reduces the chances of aspiration into the lungs by these unhealthy bacteria. Professional dental cleanings also potentially rid the rest of the body of bacteria that can result in respiratory issues, illustrating that good dental hygiene is a critical element of respiratory health.

4. Good Dental Hygiene Boosts Immune System

Your immune system helps you prevent infection by bacteria and viruses, and if these infections make it into your body, the immune system fights back against them. However, if you are not observing proper dental care, you’ll compromise your body’s ability to fight back against disease and infection.

Moreover, the immune system can only focus on fighting several infections simultaneously. It would weaken quickly if it has to fight to prevent disease and fight against the bacteria in your mouth. Prolonged inflammation is not restricted to the area of the mouth and gums; if left untreated, it can adversely affect your health, leading to heart, diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

By keeping regular dental hygiene, you can remove all harmful bacteria from your mouth and maintain the oral microbiome balance. This will free your gums from disease and your mouth from sores, leading your immune system to focus on adequately defending other parts of your body.

5. Good Dental Hygiene Reduces Pregnancy Complications

Being pregnant increases the risk of contracting oral infections, and they can affect the pregnancy. As a pregnant person, you’ll have hormonal changes that will affect the way your body reacts to bacteria in your mouth. This can lead to bleeding and swollen gums and when left untreated can cause pregnancy gingivitis.

Moreover, studies have linked severe cases of gum disease with adverse pregnancy outcomes like premature birth or underweight babies. Therefore, you need to take proper care of your mouth and teeth as a pregnant person and not ignore any warning signs of gum disease. If you notice any bleeding or swelling in your gums, contact a dental professional immediately.

Good Dental Hygiene Conclusion

Proper dental hygiene is not an aesthetics factor, but a function vital to your health. Aside from the risk of gum disease, poor oral hygiene also has the potential of increasing your probability of getting cardiovascular disease, diabetes complications, pregnancy complications, low immune system and respiratory tract infections. You should never forget that having a healthy mouth leads to a healthy body, and your care for your teeth will improve your health in the long run.