Maintaining Clean Teeth: Health Benefits and More

Maintaining your teeth has always been essential to oral health, but did you know keeping your teeth clean can actually benefit your overall health as well? It’s true: by combating the bacteria constantly residing in your mouth, you’ll reduce your risk for a variety of health issues. As if brushing and flossing weren’t already important enough, now you have an extra reason to do so!

Regardless of the benefits to overall health, we here at Cyprus Family Dental recommend every patient brushes and flosses daily to ensure a clean and healthy mouth. The decreased risk of health issues is essentially an added bonus in maintaining proper oral health. Having said that, let’s take a look at how your body benefits from optimal oral health.

5 Clean Teeth Health Benefits

As mentioned, brushing and flossing are essential to maintaining clean teeth and protecting your gums from disease, yet these two practices actually accomplish a bit more. Brushing and flossing, together, rid your mouth of harmful bacteria that would otherwise cause cavities and infection. Not only does the bacteria in your mouth affect your teeth, it can also affect your overall health. So, by keeping teeth clean and your mouth free of bacteria, you actually promote better health all around. Take a look at the list below to see the health benefits of clean teeth:

  • Decreases Risk of Dementia: According to a study by NYU’s College of Dentistry, those with periodontal inflammation showed a decrease in cognitive function, associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.
  • Lowers Chance of Stroke: Similar to preventing respiratory infection (below), the bacteria residing in your mouth can enter your bloodstream and increase the risk for heart attack or stroke.
  • Helps Prevent Respiratory Infection: The same bacteria that causes periodontal disease can enter the respiratory tract, increasing your chances of pneumonia and COPD. So, killing this bacteria is quite crucial.
  • Increases Chance of Healthy Births: Pregnant women are already prone to gingivitis. When gum disease becomes a factor, it can present premature births and low birth weights.
  • Helps Minimize and Prevent Diabetes: Gingivitis and gum disease can alter blood glucose, which can promote the progression of diabetes. Additionally, those with diabetes are actually more prone to gum disease.

Additional Benefits of 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. Of course, you’ll also have a mouthful of shining teeth—and that’s always something to smile about.

Promote Oral and Overall Health with Cyprus Family Dental

Clearly, the benefits of brushing and flossing go beyond great oral health. However, alongside brushing and flossing, every patient should visit Dr. Cantwell twice a year for checkups and professional teeth cleanings. With this, you can improve your oral health and, therefore, your overall health too!

If you’d like to schedule an appointment at Cyprus Family Dental, give us a call at 801.250.0203 or contact us here.