How Do Dental and Oral Health Affect Your Overall Health?

Do you know your teeth and gums both require regular care to avoid infections, cavities and other oral health conditions? Yes, it’s true, your oral health directly depends on the regular care and cleanliness  of the oral cavity. Moreover, your oral and dental health is also associated with the health of some other vital organs including your stomach and heart.

Whenever you talk about your overall health, your oral and dental health comes first because poor oral hygiene is linked with different types of oral infections, cavities and gum diseases. The oral and dental diseases often lead to severe health conditions, such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Thus our oral and mental health care is an essential part of your health care program. If you want to make a lifelong commitment to yourself, try to maintain healthy gums and teeth at any cost. You  protect yourself from costly dental procedures by doing early oral hygiene practices, including regular brushing, flossing and balanced eating habits. 

Why Should You Pay Attention to Your Oral and Dental Health?

Departments of health publish reports about most prevailing health conditions every year. According to the recent report, dental and oral disease are becoming more common day by day. A number of people are becoming victims of oral or mental health problems. A brief review of the report shows that nearly 80 percent of school going children are suffering from gum and teeth disease while nearly every 99 adults out of 100 have cavities in their teeth. I also reveal that 30 to 35% of adults are living with severe gum diseases and 50 to 60% of elderly people don’t have natural teeth. They are using artificial teeth diluted to complete loss of their teeth. 

According to an estimate, a number of people are diagnosed with oral cancer around the world. The ratio of oral and mental diseases are growing day by day especially in communities where oral hygiene is being neglected.

If you want to take steps to keep your teeth and gums healthy, keep on reading!

You can reduce risk of dental and oral diseases by:

• Brushing your teeth twice a day.
• Flossing your teeth once a week.
• Avoiding tobacco products.
• Eating fresh fruits and vegetables with high fiber.
• Limiting sugar intake.
• Taking care of your teeth and gums by visiting a professional dental surgeon once a month.
• Drinking water or other drinks rich in fluoride.

Dental and Oral Disease Symptoms

People usually think that they will visit a professional dentist to check their oral health, often they have some oral or mental problem. But this is not rigid. Visiting your dentist once a month can save you from spreading the disease. Your dentist will check your teeth and gums properly to find out any disturbance in time. But if you experience any of the following symptoms, your visit to the dentist should be immediate. Go to your dentist if you experience:

• Swollen gums.
• Bleeding for gums.
• Frequent dry mouth.
• Receding gums.
• Tender areas in the mouth paint out ulcers or sores.
• Chronic bad breath.
• Loose teeth.
• Toothache or pain in gums.
• Clicking the jaw.
• Broken or cracked teeth.
• Swelling on cheeks.
• Pain while biting or chewing something.
• Sudden sensitivity when eating or drinking hot or cold.

Causes of Dental and Oral Diseases

Different types of allergens and pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses are collected in your oral cavity. Some microbes are beneficial for your oral cavity flora. They are not harmful if they do not multiply above optimum range. But when you take a high sugar diet that produces acid in your mouth, it accelerates the production of bacteria in your oral cavity leading to dissolving tooth enamel and dental cavities.

A sticky material known as plaque is built near your gum line. This plaque accumulates, hardens and spreads down the length of your tooth. This plaque goes on accumulating and causes inflammation in your gums. The inflammation on gums is a severe oral condition known as gingivitis. Severe inflammation in gums is the leading cause of gums pulling away from your teeth. This may cause accumulation of pus in the pockets made between your gums and teeth. This is an advanced stage of dental disease known as periodontitis.

Common factors leading to gingivitis and periodontitis are:

• Heart burn or acid reflux.
• Genetics or family history.
• Smoking or using tobacco products.
• Frequent vomiting.
• Consuming excess quantities of sugary foods and drinks. 
• Poor brushing habits.
• Infections like AIDS or HIV.
• Diabetes.
• Family history or genetics.
• Hormonal changes in women.
• Use of certain medications that dry your saliva in your mouth.

How Can You Diagnose Dental and Oral Diseases?

Dental or oral examination is the basic step for diagnosis of a disease related to your oral cavity, gums or teeth.a thorough examination helps your dentist to take a close look and gather information about your:

• Oral cavity.
• Gums.
• Teeth.
• Jaw.
• Neck.
• Throat.
• Cheeks.
• Secretions produced by glands in your mouth.

During the diagnostic exam, the dentists often use certain tools and instruments to tap or scrape at your teeth. The dental x-ray is taken at the clinic under the supervision of a technician. The image ion x-ray helps taking a clear image of each tooth. However, pregnant women are not allowed to have an x-ray because x-rays can harm their pregnancy. 

In addition, your gums are also examined with the help of a tool known as probe. Probe helps by checking the external and internal condition of your gum pockets. This instrument helps identify if you have a gum disease or not. The normal depth of the gum pocket between the teeth is taken as 2 to 4 millimeters. The measurement less than the given ,make sure that you are suffering from a gum disease. 

Moreover, dentists sometimes use another technical way out called gum biopsy to check any growth, lump or lesions in your mouth. They remove a small piece of tissue from your oral cavity near a growth or lesion then send this specimen to a laboratory for a detailed examination. In the laboratory technicians check the sample under-highly precise microscope to find if there’s any cancerous cell. In case of finding cancerous cells in the tissue, they proceed with an imaging test to check if the cancer has spread. The tests include:

• CT scan.
• MRI scan.
• Endoscopy.
• X-ray.

Types of Oral and Dental Diseases

Your teeth, gums and oral cavity are the organs that are used frequently throughout your life. So it’s an ordinary thing that you would take many wrong thighs in your mouth during your life span.

Ignoring the oral hygiene can cause several diseases that not only damage your teeth and gums but also impact your overall health badly. Oral hygiene,regular brushing and flossing can help you prevent oral and dental diseases. But thus a common observation is that everyone has to experience at least one oral and dental disease during their lifespan. Some common types of dental and oral diseases are:

Cavities

Whenever you talk about tooth decay, the first name of tooth disease comes to your mind is cavities. Yes, cavities are one of the most prevailing dental and oral diseases around the world. A large number of people including young, old and children are affected by cavities. The cavities made in your tooth due to permanent damage. These are actually holes in your teeth that often occur when your food, oral acid and oral bacteria work together and form a thick layer of plaque on your teeth. The acid starts eating your enamel and the dentin layers. The removal of enamel and dentin make your teeth more vulnerable to different types of bacteria and germs leading to permanent damage to teeth, known as cavities.

Gingivitis (Gum Disease)

Inflammation in gums often occurs when a thick layer of opaque builds on your teeth. Poor brushing and poor oral hygiene cause the building of plaque on your teeth. The plaque not only causes damage to your teeth but also causes gum inflammation, known as gingivitis. The gum disease also causes bleeding and swelling especially when you brush your teeth. Gingivitis, if left untreated can lead to another serious dental infection, called periodontitis.

Periodontists

Periodontitis is a dental infection that damages your oral cavity bones and jaws. This disease is actually considered as an inflammatory response by your body that ultimately leads to a serious infection. 

Broken or Cracked Teeth

Sometimes, an injury to the moth, grinding or chewing can cause crack to your teeth. Cracking or breaking the teeth is a painful procedure. It not only hurts your teeth it also leads to tooth loss. Cracked teeth are often overlooked and cause the symptoms of bleeding and inflammation. Immediate medical and dental care can save your teeth. 

Sensitivity in Teeth

Whenever you experience a painful sensation in your teeth after eating or drinking very hot or cold things, you get anxious. This is really a concerning matter because sensitivity in teeth can cause discomfort and unbearable pain especially after having hot or cold beverages and foods. Dental surgeons called it dentin hypersensitivity. It is usually permanent but sometimes it happens temporarily due to tooth filling or root canal. Other causes of tooth sensitivity include:

• A broken or cracked tooth.
• Gum disease.
• Crown or worn-down fillings.
• Receding gums.

It is not necessary that bacteria or acid remove enamel of teeth. Sometimes, people also have thin layers of enamel naturally. That’s why they have sensitive terry. You can treat your sensitive teeth by improving your oral hygiene. Several brands have introduced their mouthwash and toothpaste that are specifically formulated for sensitive teeth. 

Oral Cancer

Cancer of cheeks, gums, soft and hard palate, lips, floor of mouth and Jaws are known as dental and oral cancers. Dentists can easily diagnose oral cancer. Its common causes are use of tobacco products like smoking and chewing tobacco.

According to studies, nearly 5,00,000 million people every year have been diagnosed with oral cancers around the world. Oral cancers can be treated or managed if diagnosed earlier.

How Oral Health Affects General Health?

In recent years, modern research has disclosed that your dental and oral health is directly linked with your overall health. Connection between your declining health and oral disease is a great and prominent or if great association between your oral and general health. A healthy mouth guarantees a healthy body while a mouth infected by infections or diseases can cause many underlying health issues. 

In addition, studies also suggest that inflammation in gums or bacterial activity in your oral activity can lead to:

• Premature birth.
• Inflammation in the heart lining.
• Cardiovascular diseases.
• Low birth weight.

Research suggests that heat diseases have a link with your oral hygiene. For example when bacteria from your oral cavity reach your bloodstream, they cause inflammation in the lining of your heart. The condition is known as endocarditis. This is a well-known life-threatening disease that damages your cardiac valves. In general, certain dental procedures are performed to dislodge bacteria in your mouth but it’s risky sometimes. Therefore, dentists often start with antibiotics to prevent the symptoms of disease.

How to Keep Your Gums and Teeth Healthy?

You can get rid of many diseases just by taking care of your dental and oral health. Some top tips are here for you:

• Use a toothpaste enriched in  flour for brushing your teeth.
• Make an appointment with your dentist every six months to have a professional deep cleaning of your teeth and gums.
• Avoid having sugary snacks and beverages.
• Make a habit of flossing once a day. This will prevent many viral diseases.
• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Limit the use of high-sugar and high-fat diets. 
• Add high-fiber foods to your diet.

Avoiding certain foods that have hidden sugars like:

• Pasta sauces.
• Flavored yogurt.
• Muffins.
• Juices or smoothies.
• Sweetened ice tea.
• Sports drinks.
• Sodas.
• Barbecue sauces or ketchup. 
• Can help limit the risk of dental disease.

Conclusion

Your Oral and Dental Health depends on your oral hygiene and nutrition. A poor mental and oral health can cause damage to your speech, confidence and self-esteem. Therefore, experts consider oral health more than just your teeth and gums. Dental and oral disease also disturbs your quality-life and leads to discomfort as well. In general, people fail to diagnose dental diseases at earlier stages. Therefore, the dental problems often are diagnosed at a later stage. So visiting a dentist regularly can help diagnose any dental issue in time. 

Although prevention of gum diseases, cavities or cracks in teeth is not so simple, you can limit the risk by taking care of our oral hygiene and taking good nutrition.