The Importance of Oral Hygiene and its Effect on the Rest of Your Body
The importance of oral hygiene and its effect on the rest of your body should never be underestimated, but sadly, to the detriment of the individual, it often is.
Dental and oral hygiene is unequivocally and directly connected to overall body health and neglecting the health of your mouth, teeth, and gums can lead to abscesses, halitosis, and heart diseases, to name a few. There are considerably more serious health problems you should be aware of that are directly linked to an absence of proper and regular oral care.
Heart Problems
Consistently poor oral health will increase the risk of a bacterial infection in the bloodstream, particularly when the mouth is infected with gum disease, and bacterial infections can affect the functionality of the heart valves. Tooth loss patterns are connected to the development of coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease.
There is also a substantial body of research which points to a link between gum disease and the development of diabetes which is a serious problem whereby the body is unable to produce the correct levels of insulin.
Pregnancy
Recent American studies have proven that women with untreated and regular attacks of gum disease take an average of seven months to conceive, compared to an average of five months for women without gum disease. There has also been a possible link between women who attempt to home-treat their periodontal disease with non-alcohol antimicrobial mouth wash are at an increased risk of delivering their baby early.
Early warning signs of gum disease include red, swollen, or tender gums, visible bleeding when brushing or flossing, and white pus between your gums and teeth. If you notice any of these warning signs, seek immediate treatment at a professional, experienced and independent dental practice such as northwickmanordental.co.uk, who can assess and diagnose the root of the problem.
Dementia
If you are someone that regularly skips brushing and/or flossing your teeth, there will inevitably be a build-up of dental plaque, and this build-up of plaque activates the immune system. When the immune system is repeatedly triggered, the trauma and inflammation to the gums can eventually start to affect the brain. A recent study has shown that consistently poor oral health over a number of years can increase the likelihood of the onset of dementia by over 30%.
Lung Strength
If you are one of the many people who, in the course of their busy daily lives, fail to properly brush and floss your teeth twice daily, you are putting your whole body at risk of infection and disease. If you continue to neglect your oral health, the naturally occurring bacteria can spread to your lungs which can lead to the onset of bronchitis and even pneumonia. Furthermore, if your immune system is continuously activated and fighting bacterial infections in your mouth, the germs you inevitably breathe in every day are more likely to irritate and inflame your lungs.
Make sure that you follow all the correct oral hygiene practices. As the above shows, it is an important life activity you must do.
