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You probably know that keeping your mouth clean and healthy is essential to maintaining a beautiful smile. However, did you know that the health of your mouth has a significant influence on your overall wellbeing? In fact, recent studies indicate that practicing great oral hygiene plays a key role in keeping your immune system strong. Read on as your Medford dentist explains how taking care of your oral health is good for your whole body.
How Are Oral & Overall Health Connected?
Your mouth acts as a window to your overall health. Research suggests that at least 90% of systemic, whole-body issues present symptoms in the mouth. Your dentist may identify problems like swollen gums, chronic dry mouth, or halitosis as early warning signs of health concerns like diabetes, pancreatic cancer, or kidney disease.
Similarly, your oral health impacts the rest of your body. Poor dental hygiene and an unhealthy mouth have been connected to a wide variety of health issues, including respiratory infection, rheumatoid arthritis, memory loss, and heart disease. Although more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between oral and overall health, experts agree that oral health issues increase your risk of systemic problems partially because of their impact on the immune system.
How Does a Healthy Mouth Influence the Immune System?
The natural bacteria in your mouth is typically kept in check with great dental hygiene practices like regular brushing and flossing. However, if these bacteria are allowed to accumulate, they will cause tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health issues. To protect the rest of your body, your immune system is activated to fight off these oral infections. However, the worse these problems are, the more time and energy your immune system will spend combating it, and the less prepared it will be to defend against any other viruses or bacteria that attack the body.
What Dental Hygiene Tips Will Help Keep Me Healthy?
Thankfully, there are several easy ways to protect your oral health and keep your immune system strong, like:
- Brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day.
- Flossing all your teeth and thoroughly rinsing with mouthwash daily.
- Keeping your toothbrush clean by not sharing it or storing it in a closed container.
- Eating nutritious, low-sugar foods, especially options high in vitamin C.
- Drinking plenty of water and kicking bad habits like using tobacco products.
Remember to practice regular dental hygiene to keep your smile beautiful and your immune system strong. When you take care of your smile, your whole body will thank you!
About the Practice
At Island Daily Dental Care in Medford, NY, we believe that the foundation for a beautiful smile and great overall health is excellent preventive dental care. That’s why our team of talented dentists encourages everyone to get a regular dental checkup twice a year. They are available seven days a week to ensure that keeping yourself and your smile healthy is as easy and convenient as possible. If you’d like to know more dental hygiene tips to improve your immune system, feel free to reach them via their website or at (631) 286-9000