It is a well known fact that your oral and dental health is linked to your general well-being. It is very important to make sure that you visit your dentist regularly to make sure that your teeth and gums remain in great condition.
However, with this in mind, you may be wondering exactly what sort of benefits a healthy mouth can have with respect to your general health and wellbeing. Luckily for you, we have put together a list of our top five ways that improving your dental health, creating your perfect set of teeth, can improve your overall wellbeing. These include:
- Healthy Saliva Will Keep Your Gut Healthy
Your saliva is your bodies first defence against harmful bacteria and viruses within your body. Disease causing organisms can easily enter your mouth, and from there they are able to move down into the heart or lungs – if they aren’t stopped first. Saliva contains antibodies which can destroy pathogenic organisms, including those that cause things like the common cold or HIV infections.
- An Unhealthy Mouth Can Cause Digestive Infections
Everything which goes through your mouth eventually ends up in your stomach and digestive system. If you have infections in your teeth, gums or elsewhere in your mouth, they can spread to your stomach and the rest of your digestive system, causing all sorts of problems.
- An Unhealthy Mouth Smells!
There is nothing worse than someone with terrible breath. One of the best ways to make sure that you have bad breath, is to make sure that your mouth is unhealthy. While bad breath won’t directly impact your health, it will make it hard for you to have meaningful social interactions and relationships, and it may even make it hard for you to find a job. This can affect your mental health.
- Good Oral Health Can Lower Your Risk Of Heart Disease!
As surprising as it sounds, studies have shown that good oral health can lower your risk of heart disease and the associated problems. Chronic inflammation and gum infections have been closely linked to cardiovascular problems including strokes, heart disease and blocked blood vessels. So there you have it – cleaning your teeth can help keep your heart healthy!
- Good Oral Health Has Been Linked To Good Memory
Perhaps just as surprisingly, it has been shown that poor oral health and gingivitis are linked to poor memory. In a recent study, adults with gingivitis performed worse on a memory test than adults with a healthy mouth. Keep your mouth healthy and eliminate gingivitis to improve your memory!
Final Word:
There are literally thousands of reasons why you should keep your teeth and mouth healthy. Along with improving your mental wellbeing and self-confidence, having a healthy mouth should also help improve your general health and wellbeing.