Brushing and flossing your teeth is an important part of oral health that has always been encouraged. However, new studies show that your teeth can also benefit your overall health if you keep them clean. How so? By waging war on the bacteria that naturally and continuously lives in your mouth, you can decrease your risk of other health problems. If you weren’t already brushing and flossing regularly, then this is an excellent incentive to do so!
Of course, even without the added health benefits, we at Cyprus Family Dental recommend brushing and flossing regularly for each patient to maintain a clean mouth. This improved health is basically a bonus for the overall value of a healthy mouth. With that being said, let’s talk about how the rest of your body can benefit from having a clean and healthy mouth.
5 Health Benefits From Good Dental Care
As you know, brushing and flossing keep your teeth clean and your gums free from disease. These two habits actually do a little more than that. Brushing and flossing, as a team, eliminate the bad bacteria in your mouth that would otherwise cause cavities and infection. It’s not only the bacteria in your mouth that can damage your teeth but can also take a toll on your overall health. Keeping your teeth clean and your mouth bacteria free, can therefore promote good health in general. Read the list below to see just how having clean teeth helps you stay healthy:
- Decreases Risk of Dementia: In a study conducted by NYU’s College of Dentistry, those with periodontal inflammation had cognitive function decreases, related to Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Lowers Chance of Stroke: Just as it can prevent respiratory infection (below), the bacteria in your mouth can enter your bloodstream, therefore increasing the likelihood for heart attack or stroke.
- Helps Prevent Respiratory Infection: The same bacteria that cause periodontal disease can be inhaled into your respiratory tract, increasing your chances of pneumonia and COPD. In this way, it is quite important to kill that bacteria.
- Increases Chance of Healthy Births: Pregnant women are already more prone to gingivitis. However, when gum disease factors in, you can have premature births and low birth weights.
- Helps Minimize and Prevent Diabetes: Gingivitis and gum disease can affect blood glucose, thereby worsening diabetes. On the flip side, those with diabetes are more prone to gum disease.
Additional Benefits of Proper Dental Care & Clean Teeth
While brushing and flossing help you achieve clean teeth, in addition to promoting better overall health, keeping your teeth clean presents even more benefits. In keeping up on your oral health, you’ll reduce your chances of cavities, gingivitis, and more, which saves you both time and money by requiring less dental work! In short, prevention costs less than treatment. Plus, you’ll have something to smile about with all those beautiful teeth!
Increase Your Overall Health with Cyprus Family Dental
As you can plainly see, brushing and flossing are only part of the recipe for great oral health. Additionally, every patient needs to visit Dr. Cantwell twice a year for checkups and professional teeth cleanings. By doing this, you can boost your oral health and, consequently, your overall health as well! If you’d like to schedule an appointment at Cyprus Family Dental, give us a call at (801) 250-0203 or contact us here.