Did you know that this month we are celebrating the Dental Hygiene Month? Dental Hygiene is a not an unfamiliar word for most of us. Today in this blog we will delve more on the importance of dental hygiene and what can happen if one does not take care of one’s teeth.
What is dental hygiene?
Dental Hygiene in simple words is making sure your mouth, teeth and gums stay clean, healthy and disease free. Dental Hygiene is generally the most neglected of all health related things that people pursue. This is because they do not understand how vital dental hygiene is. Let us understand the importance of dental hygiene to appreciate it better.
What will happen if one does not care about dental hygiene?
The direct impact of not maintaining dental hygiene is obviously poor oral health. ADA recommends that you must brush twice a day and floss at least once a day. You must also visit your dentist once every 6 months to ensure good dental hygiene. But it has been found that almost 50% of Americans don’t floss daily and around 20% do not brush twice a day. Dental health is generally neglected and the result is dental plaque formation. Plaque is the sticky film that forms over your teeth when the food you eat especially the sugary stuff is not cleaned off the surface of the teeth. It then becomes the food of the bacteria in the mouth resulting in the formation of plaque. Plaque that stays on the teeth can harden into what is called the tartar. Tartar makes it difficult to remove the plaque.
- Cavities – Also called tooth decay and caries are the result of a combination of things like frequent snacking, consumption of sugary drinks and poor oral hygiene. The acids in plaque can erode the outer covering of the teeth called enamel leading to cavities. This is the most common of all the dental problems found in kids, teenagers and adults.
- Tooth loss – If cavities are not treated on time then it can lead to infection in the tooth, toothache and possible tooth loss.
- Gum diseases – Due to the plaque buildup on your tooth because of the bacteria in the mouth there is a possibility of getting gum diseases. Swollen red gums or bleeding gums are signs of mild gum disease known as gingivitis. More than 50% of Americans suffer from gingivitis at some point or the other in their lives. Severe gum disease is called periodontitis.
- Bad breath – One of the most common complaints of people with poor dental hygiene is bad breath. Although there can be many reasons behind it but poor dental hygiene is one of the most common. Food particles that get stuck in between the teeth start decaying causing bad breath.
Not only this direct impact of poor dental hygiene is important but one must also be aware that oral health is deeply connected to one’s overall health. Oral health is linked to various diseases like –
- Heart related diseases – Research suggests that the inflammation caused by the oral bacteria is linked to clogged arteries and stroke. It has also been observed that these bacteria can cause infection in the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.
- Low birth weight and premature delivery – It has been observed that there is some link between the presence of gum disease in the mother to the premature birth and low birth rate of the infant.
- Infection of the lungs – Bacteria of the mouth can even cause pneumonia and other lung infections if they get sucked into the respiratory system.
- Alzheimer’s disease – Research suggests there is a connection between the Alzheimer and gum inflammation.
- Pancreatic cancer – Harvard School of Public Health was the first to report that periodontitis (severe gum disease) is linked to pancreatic cancer.
- Chronic kidney diseases – People with severe gum disease are more likely to also suffer from severe kidney disease.
What can I do take care of my dental hygiene?
- Brush twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste – It has been seen the plaque can start damaging the teeth within 48 hours of formation so if you keep brushing frequently you can keep getting rid of the plaque before it can damage your teeth.
- Floss at least once a day to clean the areas that cannot be cleaned by the brush.
- Visit your dentist for checkups every 6 months – Despite following all measures of dental hygiene there is a possibility of getting dental problems and some conditions like milder gum disease appear at first to have no symptoms. A regular check up will ensure that a professional dentist will look at your teeth and gum health and arrest any problem at the earliest. Nowadays there are specialists available for dental hygiene. They are known as dental hygienists. Together with your dentist they are responsible for your oral health.
To know more about dental hygiene practices that you can follow we suggest you to read our blog 10 awesome tips to maintain dental hygiene.
We want to use this opportunity of the dental hygiene month to raise awareness about dental health and oral care amongst people in general. We hope this blog will make people realize the importance of dental hygiene and its impact on overall health. So make sure you start working on your oral health from today only. Make dental health and dental hygiene a priority.
If you have more queries you can always call Ensure Dental Care (the family dentist near you) on 940-274-3229 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Ensure Dental Care is the one of the best family dental clinics at Saginaw Texas. We accept all major insurance providers. We also have in house payment plan. We have a very experienced team of dental practitioners and we look forward to serving you the best of our abilities.
If you liked this blog share it with your family and friends. You can also follow us on Instagram for offers, deals and more fun stuff. Our Instagram handle is @ensuredentalcaresaginawtx. See you on Instagram soon.