Oral Hygiene - The key to a Healthy Body
Hi Readers,
We have been tirelessly educating all our patients on the importance of maintaining a healthy oral Hygiene. Apart from the fact that good oral hygiene is essential for maintaining healthy teeth; it also tells a lot about the health of the entire body.
Most of the bacteria found in our mouth are harmless, and good oral hygiene coupled with the body’s immune system can keep these bacteria under control. However, due to dental problems, harmful bacteria can sometimes grow out of control and breach our mouth’s protective barriers, enter our bloodstream and affect other body parts as well.
By maintaining a healthy oral hygiene, we may actually be able to prevent or reduce the progression of harmful diseases in other parts of our body.
I have tried to briefly explain the link between dental health and various other health related issues in the following paragraphs:-
- Oral Health and Diabetes: Oral hygiene and Diabetes is a double edged sword. High blood sugar level provides ideal conditions for infection to grow, including gum infections. Gum infections in turn weaken the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels. Combined; these two health issues worsen each other. The good part is that by maintaining a healthy oral hygiene, you support your body to control the blood sugar levels that in turns keeps your diabetes under control. Further, if you have a family history of diabetes, and if you are experiencing reoccurring dental problems like bleeding gums, tooth loosening etc, it may be a sign that you may have developed diabetics.
- Oral Health and Heart diseases: Good Oral Hygiene can help you keep away from Heart problems. As per one research, heart diseases, clogged arteries and strokes may be linked to high levels of disease causing bacteria in our mouth. However, research is still underway on exact relationship, but there is growing evidence that poor oral hygiene has a direct role in raising the risk of a heart attack. Hence, it is wise to be careful and maintain good oral hygiene to mitigate any risk of heart ailments due to poor oral hygiene.
- Oral Health and Pregnancy: It is absolutely important for pregnant women to maintain good oral hygiene. It has been reported that poor oral hygiene and gum diseases may contribute to complications like premature birth and low birth weight. Further, Tooth Infection and gum diseases in general seem to interfere with a fetus’ development in the womb as well.
- Oral Hygiene and Lungs: Harmful bacteria can be inhaled from the mouth and throat leading to lung infections causing/worsening diseases like pneumonia.
From the above points, one thing is clear: the body and mouth are not separate, they are linked and any disease in your mouth will affect your body and vice versa.
In short, taking good care of your teeth can actually help you live longer and healthier. Please do check out our other blogs on how to maintain a healthy oral hygiene.
Lastly, whenever you visit us, do inform us about your family medical history, we may find some early signs and help you to keep everything under control.
Take Care and Keep Smiling
Dr. Anjana Bhargava
