It’s March here in Oklahoma, which means the days are getting longer, and pretty soon, we can start saying “goodbye!” to the cold weather for the year. Something that few people know about, however, is that today, March 20th, is World Oral Health Day. It’s an occasion where your dentist in El Reno and other medical professionals try to raise awareness about how the health of the mouth directly influences the health of the entire body. So, in today’s blog, your dentist is going to reveal why the health of your mouth is so important as well as share tips on how to keep it, and the rest of you, healthy year after year.
Oral Health Is Overall Health
The mouth is the gateway to the body, in that pretty much anything that is in the mouth can go everywhere else inside you. This is pretty easy to understand when you think about how digestion works. You chew food, it goes into your stomach, and then your digestive system breaks it down so it can enter your bloodstream and travel all around your body.
Unfortunately, this also means that potentially harmful things, like bacteria, can enter the body through the mouth as well. This is especially concerning when it comes to gum disease, an infection of the gums, roots of the teeth, and the bone that support them. The gums are very vascular structures, in that they have a lot of blood vessels, so it’s easy for anything that is on them to go directly into the bloodstream.
According to more and more research, a person who has gum disease is also much more likely to develop other systemic illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even dementia. Scientists around the globe believe this is because gum disease bacteria is entering the body, traveling somewhere else, and causing inflammation, which is the precursor to many harmful conditions. That’s why keeping your mouth clean and healthy is so important, in that it prevents this from happening in addition to giving you a beautiful smile.
Healthy Oral Healthcare Habits
So now that you have this information, how can you take care of your mouth in a way that safeguards your overall health? Fortunately, it basically only involves standard oral hygiene, which you’re likely already familiar with.
To keep your mouth and body healthy, you should:
- Brush at least twice a day for two minutes each and floss once, paying particular attention to clean along and below the gum line.
- Visit your dentist at least twice a year for preventive checkups and cleanings.
- Keep your consumption of foods with a lot of added sugar to a minimum.
- Contact your dentist as soon as you think you have a dental problem.
With this approach, your teeth and gums will not only stay in good shape, but so will the rest of you! These habits will keep the bacteria in your mouth under control so they can’t affect your body. Brushing your teeth is more helpful than you ever realized! Keep up your daily routine and don’t be a stranger to your dentist, and you’ll likely be amazed by how great you feel day to day.
About the Author
Dr. Adam Cohlmia is a family, restorative, and cosmetic dentist based in El Reno, OK. He currently practices at El Reno Family Dentistry, where he’s always happy to provide patient education so they can protect their smile and their overall health. To learn more about how your oral and overall health are connected and ways you can take care of both, you can contact him here.