Importance of Oral Health
Today, many Americans are able to take care of their oral health like never before. Dentists are more accessible which enables us to keep our oral health in top condition. However, one common ideology is that people only need to visit the dentist when they are having a problem, are in pain or for a checkup.
This is not true, and you can be hurting your overall health by not visiting the dentist more often. A dentist typically focuses on oral health, but did you know that many other physical conditions can be diagnosed just from examining one’s oral health. That is why oral health is vital to physical health.
Not taking care of the mouth can lead to other health problems down the road such as diabetes, leukemia, oral cancers, heart disease and even kidney disease. A regular visit to the dentist can do more than fight cavities.
Dentists do much more than fight cavities and give you braces.
Research suggests that the mouth mirrors the rest of the body when it comes to health. When the mouth is healthy, you are protecting the rest of the body. There is a relationship between gum disease and health complications such as stroke and heart disease.
Tooth decay is also a sign of poor diet and can cause other decay in the body. Abscessed teeth and infected gums can lead to blood infections and sepsis. Poor oral health can cause oral and facial pain as well as problems with the heart and other major organs.
So what can you do to stay on top of your oral hygiene?
Visit the dentist regularly and keep your mouth in tip-top shape by brushing and flossing up to 3 times per day. Don’t forget to avoid bad habits like smoking, drinking soda, and excess sugar!
This post was written by Max, a marketing assistant for Southern Dental, an office specializing in family dentistry located in Marrero, Louisiana.
I totally agree that oral health is as important as the total well being. We often take this for granted and just seek for professional health when we have an unbeariable toothache. This may be because of the common mentality that when we say dentist we will be facing one painful procedure. This post is a good reminder that oral health is very important especially when you mentioned that gum disease can lead to sepsis..omg! Blood infection is one serious health problem.
My partner had an abscess tooth a month ago and he was in total pain. I was so scared for him because i read before that it can lead to blood infection. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad. The dentist only gave him antibiotics to lessen the inflammation. I agree not to take oral health for granted plus bad teeth is gross.
This is a no-brainer, however lots of people really fail. Just because our teeth are working doesn't mean we shouldn't maintain it. The teeth goes through a daily grind. We use it so much! So, just like our cars, we should also have it checked regularly.
Oral care just like any other parts of the body or our system is a top priority. Sad but true that most of the time its something that most people take for granted. Sometimes im guilty here too! Coz i always forgot about scheduling my long overdue teeth cleaning.. This post just reminded me though… Thank you!
I think oral care is also dependent on the financial status of the family. Pero yes, it can be a basis for determining how much a person takes care of the rest of the body.
Oral care for most is brushing teeth pero the right way is regularly visiting the dentist. Hindi lang kasi priority.
My mom is a dentist so I've been trained to proper oral hygiene since I'm a fetus. lol. I've heard a lot of poor oral health stories of her patients from my mom every night and it's sad how people take their teeth for granted.
This has been an ongoing problem for us since became travelers in 2014. We basically live in a different country every 30 to 90 days and sometimes less. Not having a personal care dentists is hard. We have to take our history with us everywhere and usually find a good doctor through the local expat club when we need a checkup.
Totally true. Going to the dentist and having good teeth is so important!! How often do you think someone should go? I go once every year. But usually I get my reminder after 6 months.
Perhaps it happens when kids tend to put not too much importance on their oral health. They might find brushing their teeth as extra chore. Before, i would often remind my boys to brush their teeth. They will not see the bad effect now but in due time. Thank God They all listened And I believe they understood the importance of taking care of their teeth as well as maintaining a fresh breathe.
This post reminded me to visit my dentist soon. When I was pregnant , I totally didn't visited her at all. I was too lazy and also I don't want to take any meds at that time because of my pregnancy. But now that I already gave birth, I should visit her soon. I just need to find time on who can help me taking care of my baby.
When I was young, it's a shame that I didn't really care about my teeth. It's our father who pulls our teeth out when they're ready. He uses thread to pull our teeth and I didn't like that, it looks really scary for me at that time. So when a tooth is ready to be pulled out, I keep it as a secret. The consequence to that? Now I have to experience the inconvenience of having braces just for my teeth to get fixed. 🙁
Oral care can sometimes be dependent on the financial status. It needs maintenance and of course, money. For cleaning, it needs twice a year to do that and not all can afford it. But it should not totally hinder for an oral heath care.
What an informative article! I definitely agree that oral health is important, and ironically, it is often being taken for granted. Most people only go to the dentist when there is already a problem. I have to make extra care for my teeth because I have a rare condition — my teeth lack enamel. The advisable number of times to consult the dentist is twice a year, and I'm trying to stick to that, no matter how expensive it is here in Norway. It would be a good initiative by the local government to do oral health projects in the marginalized areas.
This post reminded me of my mom who is a dentist by profession. I never really went to a dentist regularly because I have my mom who I ask for consultation every now and then for FREE! Kidding aside, I agree with you that oral hygiene should include the practice of visiting one's dentist at least once a month or once a quarter to make sure that their oral health is well taken care of. — Jen
I didn't know that poor oral health can lead to diabetes, leukemia, heart disease and even kidney disease aside from oral cancers. It's nice to know about it. We surely need to drop by the dentist once in a while and not just when we feel pain in our tooth. This reminded me to set an appointment with my dentist. – Me-An Clemente