Oral hygiene
Today we live in a society that is really conscious about beauty inside and outside. We don’t consider that just exclusive for certain people, artists, etc.; neither is Vanity, in reality we need to take care of the way we look, feel and the way we interact with others.
It is really important to start with the oral health, and that involves our teeth, gums, and hard and soft tissues.
Did you know that your oral health could diagnose other diseases?
Research shows that more than 90% of all systemic diseases (involving many organs or the whole body) have oral manifestation, like swollen gums, mouth ulcers, dry mouth and severe gum problems. Such diseases that can manifest in the oral cavity include: diabetes, leukemia, oral cancer, pancreatic cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease.
Regular oral examination can provide a lot of information, can be a good diagnose on your overall health and can detect problems in its early stages.
If there’s a poor oral health, it can lead to problems including, oral and facial pain, due to infection of the gums that support the teeth and lead to tooth loss. Gingivitis is an early stage of gum disease, and an advance one affects more than 75% of the U.S. population. It can also lead to problems with the heart and other major organs, and digestion problems.
What can you do?
The daily brushing and flossing can keep bacteria under control, if we don’t do it properly the bacteria is going to grow and reach levels that might lead to oral infections, decay and gum disease; specially when there is medications involve like painkillers, antihistamines, diuretics can reduce saliva flow and cause an overgrowth of bacteria in the mouth and on the mandibular appliances, when we have oral appliances also the bacteria affect them with their function and also it can be a build up in plaque, tartar and possible decay.
You need to have regular dental appointments to keep your oral health in optimum conditions, because if you do that we can detect poor nutrition and hygiene, if there is any, growth and development problems and improper jaw alignment. Provide your dentist with a complete medical history and inform him or her of any recent health development, even if they seem unrelated to your oral health.
What you can do to have a proper oral health at home is: brush for 2-3 minutes at least twice a day with toothpaste, floss daily to remove plaque from places where toothbrush can’t reach, eat healthy diet to provide the nutrients necessary to prevent gum disease, avoid cigarettes and smokeless tobacco which may contribute to gum disease and oral cancer, exercise preventive care and schedule regular dental check ups.
