Are you taking daily steps at home to protect your smile and visiting your dentist annually?
Whether you think you’re doing everything possible or have avoided certain aspects of oral health, this piece is for you. Here, we will discuss how oral health can make a massive difference to physical and mental health. We’ll also go over ways to address some issues in the mouth. Be prepared to feel compelled to make a dental appointment by the end!
Less Future Stress with Healthy Teeth
Did you know that smiling is one of the body’s natural defenses against stress? Each occurrence encourages the brain to send out neuropeptides to help us calm down. Once they are out and about, other feel-good chemicals are released. The combination of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine creates an anti-stress response in the brain, a good reminder for when you’re feeling down. Even if you have to fake it ’til you make it, smiling is an easy way to get some positive vibes going internally.
Maintaining dental appointments means you’ll have more good reasons to smile. Unfortunately, those with the most tooth issues are less likely to smile.
Tooth Loss Is a Concern
While teeth are essential to care for throughout all life cycles, paying attention to the changes in your mouth becomes more vital as we age. A common issue with age is periodontal disease, which may present when the gums are visibly receding, and teeth may be a little loose. Cosmetic dentists can address the issue with treatment.
Periodontal disease quickly advances because most people don’t even realize it’s there. That’s another good reason to keep up regular visits to your dentist. As a cosmetic dentist in the Houston Galleria area, we specialize in LANAP. This laser gum surgery can successfully address all the problems of periodontal disease. This procedure benefits patients by making them more comfortable than traditional surgery.
Bad Breath Needs More Than Mints
Did you know that not eating can lead to a pungent odor from the throat into the mouth? Bacteria specializing in exuding odors sit there since nothing is washing or brushing the smell. It isn’t something many people think of, but bad breath comes from more than a fishy lunch.
Bad breath doesn’t have to linger, either. You can do several things to keep things as neutral as possible inside the mouth. Aside from brushing your teeth, here are a few tips to keep smells at bay:
- Tongue brushing
- Daily flossing
- Drink water
- Clean any dental appliances
- Update the toothbrush
Infections Caused by Dental Hygiene
Many bacteria hang out on your teeth, tongue and gums without a proper dental routine. At that point, gums will start swelling, and teeth will get infected.
Dental Infections Can Spread
Inevitably, bacteria escape the mouth and wreak havoc in other areas. Before long, you might deal with respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia or even COPD.
Ozone Therapy Stops Oral Infections
Your Houston dentist can help you achieve a next-level smile in only one visit. The method used is called Ozone Therapy, and it helps with gum disease, whitening, healing, sterilizing, and bacteria. How does it do all of that? For starters, ozone gas eliminates bacteria with no side effects for patients. The therapy also impacts tooth decay and the remineralization of teeth. Best part? It’s painless.
Dental Hygiene Affects Circulatory Health
An aspect of oral health that most need to consider is how much what’s going on in the mouth plays a part across the body. When teeth aren’t taken care of, it can harm blood pressure. Avoiding proper brushing can mess with prescribed hypertension medication. If this hits a little close to home, feel free to ask about your circumstances on your next cosmetic dentistry visit.
Heart Health Links to Oral Health
How are the heart and teeth connected? Well, it goes even deeper than blood pressure. Studies show that those lacking good oral health are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. The reason isn’t 100% known, but a few researched theories exist.
Strokes Caused by Bad Dental Hygiene
The main culprit here is bacteria. Bacterial infections cause ischemic strokes, which make up over two-thirds of strokes. The bacteria in question is coming from plaque buildup in the mouth. It just so happens that almost half of all adults have at least some level of periodontal disease. Regular visits could prevent the spread of stroke-causing bacteria.
Dental Care Affects Lungs
Bacteria also travel to other places in the body, like the lungs. Pulmonary actinomycosis is an infection caused explicitly by bacteria feasting in the mouth. Not taking care of your teeth will lead to bacteria buildup, increasing the chances of getting this infection.
Dental Health Linked with Lymphoma
Periodontal disease is linked to multiple types of cancer. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma begins in the white blood cells of the immune system. Those with this oral disease are 30% more likely to get that specific type of cancer. Just how much the two are connected has yet to be determined.