The Benefits of Maintaining Optimum Oral Health
You know how it works- after working the entire day, you feel exhausted enough to skip brushing for one night, and then you don’t mind cleaning your teeth from time to time. You might be surprised to discover that neglecting your dental health can contribute to tooth loss or decay.
Furthermore, maintaining good oral health, scheduling professional teeth cleanings, and brushing and flossing on a regular basis will benefit you in much more ways than just keeping your teeth healthy and looking great. Continue reading to figure out the perks of achieving optimal dental health and what oral health maintenance tips to follow to prevent tooth decay.
Exploring the Benefits of Oral Health
Maintaining proper oral health is crucial for varied reasons. Good oral health can benefit your general health in addition to safeguarding your teeth from decay and loss and preventing gum disease. Read on to uncover the impeccable benefits of oral health:
Avoid Tooth Decay and Loss
With proper oral hygiene, you can easily prevent unwanted decay in your teeth. Every time you eat something, your accumulated food is broken down into tiny particles by bacteria in your mouth. This process creates an acidic environment that can cause the enamel on your teeth to deteriorate. Without enamel to support your teeth, you may eventually develop cavities, tooth decay, and even lose your teeth. Once the enamel gets eroded, the inner part of the tooth are softer and more prone to decay.
But keeping your mouth clean by regular brushing can help shield your teeth from decay by preventing the accumulation of plaque and other dangerous materials.
Healthier Gums
Your mouth contains numerous bacteria species, with good bacteria helping digest food and harmful ones causing infection and illness.
Regular brushing and flossing aid in maintaining a healthy balance between these species by reducing the potentially harmful bacteria and removing food particles that feed them in your mouth. Neglecting oral hygiene can contribute to the multiplication of harmful bacteria in an individual's mouth, resulting in plaque buildup on his teeth.
This plaque accumulation can worsen your gum inflammation, resulting in gum disease and infection. Furthermore, gum disease can cause swelling, bleeding, or tenderness in your gums. Bacteria present in plaque cause gum irritation/inflammation leading to bone loss which eventually result in loss of tooth.
Healthier Lungs
When having a gum disease or infection caused by the harmful bacteria in your mouth, it’s possible you inhale those bacteria into your lungs. It can further worsen respiratory infections like pneumonia or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which is one of the common causes of death.
According to the American Thoracic Society, gum disease sends distress signal that places the entire body on alert, leading to inflammation in the lungs.
You can prevent these respiratory infections or lung diseases by practising an optimal oral health routine.
Lower Chances of Diabetes
When it comes to potentially dangerous blood sugar disorders, Type 2 diabetes is one of them that can cause disability and, even worse, early death. As per studies, individuals with gum disease have up to 50% more chances of developing Type 2 diabetes than people with healthier gums.
You might be wondering what the connection is between these two. Gum disease can cause inflammation, making it difficult for your body to use insulin adequately and thus, you worsen Type 2 diabetes and its complications. Hence, maintaining proper oral hygiene is essential for maintaining the diabetes control.
Oral Health Maintaining Tips to Prevent Tooth Decay
So, now you know the importance of maintaining oral health in preventing tooth decay and promoting overall health. It’s time to figure out how to protect teeth from decay. Your ultimate solution is to follow these oral health maintaining tips to prevent your teeth from deteriorating:
Brush Two Times in a Day for Two Minutes
Everyone knows the rule of brushing two times a day. But do you know you should brush for two minutes to keep your teeth in top-notch form? Also it is important to use correct brushing technique.
Using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to brush your teeth can help cleanse food particles and bacteria from your mouth. In addition, brushing two times for two minutes regularly can also wash out harmful particles that deteriorate your teeth and cause cavities.
Make Sure to Floss Every Day
You should do flossing once daily to loosen the particles that are usually missed when brushing. It can also remove plaque and prevent tartar from building up and maintain optimum gum health.
Use a Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride is the tooth enamel's best friend. It’s because fluoride is known to support minerals found in enamel and fight against enamel-deteriorating bacteria. The optimal way to add fluoride to your oral hygiene routine is by using fluoride-based toothpaste and mouthwash.
If your enamel has already started deteriorating, consult your dentist for a strong fluoride-based tooth decay treatment to protect your teeth.
Preventive fluoride treatment at dental office can prevent initiation of new cavities and also arrest initial cavities.
Avoid Consuming Harmful Foods and Drinks
Often, tooth decay is attributed mainly to a poor diet comprising foods high in salt, sugar, and other harmful carbohydrates. To protect your teeth from decaying or vanishing to the fullest extent, consider avoiding too much intake of drinks and foods like coffee, sweets, salty snacks, and tomato-based products. Time of sugar intake/ frequency of sugar intake has a major role to play in cavity formation.
Increase Water Intake
Water is known to be the best beverage an individual can have for improved overall health, including oral health. As a rule of thumb, you should drink water after having every meal. Infact you may swish the water which can help wash the sticky and acidic food particles and beverages from your teeth and mouth between brushes.
Therefore, with no food particles accumulating on your teeth, the enamel will be protected, thus preventing tooth decay.
Diet Counselling/Management
A dentist can guide/modify your diet which can prevent initiation of cavities.
Summing up it all!
When you take care of your oral health, you are doing more than preventing cavities and tooth decay- you are supporting your overall health, too.
Maintain optimal oral health and prevent your teeth from decaying by scheduling professional cleanings. Schedule an appointment with the Dentistry department at Medanta to receive world-class dental care.
FAQs
Why is oral health important?
Good oral health is essential for overall well-being, preventing dental decay, gum disease, and systemic health issues.
What are the signs of poor oral health?
Signs include bad breath, toothaches, gum bleeding, sensitivity to hot or cold, and visible tooth decay.
How often should I brush my teeth?
It's recommended to brush your teeth at least twice a day, ideally in the morning and before bed.
Is flossing really necessary?
Yes, flossing is crucial to remove plaque and food particles from between teeth, where brushing can't reach.
What foods and drinks harm my teeth?
Sugary foods, acidic drinks, and excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to tooth decay and enamel erosion.
Citations
1. American Thoracic Society. (2019). Dental Health and Lung Disease. American Thoracic Society PATIENT EDUCATION | INFORMATION SERIES, 199, P9–P10. https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/dental-health.pdf
2. Diabetes, Gum Disease, & Other Dental Problems. (2024, December 13). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/gum-disease-dental-problems
