Brushing, flossing and seeing the dentist on a regular basis will keep your mouth healthy, which is important to your overall health. A lack of decent dental care can lead to many dental and medical problems later in life, from losing your teeth to memory loss. The following is a list of benefits that you can reap from maintaining a healthy mouth.
Help You Keep Your Teeth
General dentistry places emphasis on caring for your teeth and gums, and preventing problems from occurring in the future. However, you also have to take good care of your teeth at home to increase your chances of keeping them for life. Tooth loss not only affects your smile, but it can also affect your life expectancy.
There was a study done that showed that people who have at least 20 teeth at the age of 70 typically live longer than those who have fewer than 20 teeth.
Reduce Inflammation
Brushing and flossing can prevent mouth inflammation. If you have inflammation around your gums, then it can easily spread to other parts of your body. Gum inflammation can increase the risk of heart disease.
Help You Preserve Your Memory
You may be able to keep your memory longer if you keep your mouth healthy. There have been studies done to show that people who have healthy mouths tend to perform better on tests than people who have gum disease. Tooth loss can also impact cognitive function. Experts do not know exactly how memory is linked to tooth loss and gum disease, but they do believe that inflammation plays a role.
Maintain a Healthy Pregnancy
You will be more likely to have a healthy pregnancy if you have a healthy mouth. This is why doctors recommend that you see a dentist while you are pregnant. Many pregnant women can develop gum disease due to the hormonal changes in their body. This is commonly referred to as Pregnancy Gingivitis. This is typically mild, but it has to be treated in order to prevent it from getting worse.
Studies have shown that women who have gum disease are more likely to give birth before 35 weeks.
Keeping your mouth healthy can help you live a healthy life. You will be able to keep your teeth longer if you maintain good oral hygiene. Taking care of your teeth and gums can also help you preserve your memory, reduce inflammation or disease, and maintain a healthy pregnancy.
