Oral Health
You might be surprised to learn the extent to which oral health can affect your overall well-being. Doctors can often detect the first signs of a disease by examining your mouth. Diseases that originate in your mouth can also spread to other areas of the body with disastrous results.Even with regular health care, brushing, and flocking, your mouth will be home to a certain amount of bacteria. Saliva helps to destroy bacteria growth in regular conditions and prevent its spread to other parts of the bodywithout proper care, though, bacteria can easily overwhelm these defenses. Harmful bacteria will first present itself as periodontitis, a type of gum infection. Besides causing progressive loss of the alveolar bone around your teeth, periodontitis can create an entryway into your bloodstream, allowing bacteria to enter and cause problems in the rest of the body.Persistent xerostomia, or dry mouth, can also give bacteria the foothold they need to grow. It can also make eating, swallowing, and talking more difficult. Dry mouth is a side-effect of many prescription and OTC medication, and is also related to diseases like Sjogren’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes. If you begin experiencing dry mouth for one of these reasons, inform your doctor. You can also help ease symptoms by chewing sugarless gum or drinking water. Cutting back on tobacco and alcohol can also be helpful.One of the conditions that first become obvious in your mouth is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the systemic loss of bone density. When this occurs in your jaw, it can leave your teeth open to infectious destruction, which may show up during a clinical exam or X-ray.Some people have never been informed of proper teeth-brushing techniques. The Mayo Clinic says to “hold your toothbrush at a slight angle against your teeth and brush with short back-and-forth motions.” Besides brushing all parts of your teeth, you should also brush your tongue. The best types of toothbrushes to use are soft-bristled (as they won’t irritate the gums) or electric/battery-operated models (since they can get to harder-to-reach areas). If you’re using a regular soft-bristled model, make sure to replace it at least four times a year (every three months).In addition to brushing, flossing should also be a daily activity. This will reach the areas between your teeth that your brush misses. Floss between each tooth, and make sure you have enough floss so that you can use a fresh segment for each tooth.