A simple smile has always been an object of human fascination and a topic of countless proverbs. You have probably heard that a beautiful smile can disarm anyone, or that smile is the prettiest jewelry a girl can wear. All these claims are true. Taking care of your oral hygiene will make you a radiant person, improve your relationships and, as a result, boost your self-confidence.
However, proper dental care can do much more for your wellbeing than simply making you attractive. Let’s take a look at some of the most important benefits.
Oral cancer prevention
According to a recent study, cavity cancer is the ninth most common type of cancer in Australia. This result is pretty comparable to other developed countries as well (the numbers can vary depending on the percentage of the population consuming tobacco and alcohol). Talking better care of your oral area and paying frequent visits to your dentist can play a large role in the prevention of this dangerous disease that can quickly spread to the rest of the oral area.
A window to other conditions
The human body is a complex mechanism built from interconnected systems. The ailment that troubles one part of your body can show its symptoms in another. The oral area seems like a crossroad for these symptoms. According to Doctor Raymond Martin, spokesman of The Academy of General Dentistry, more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases (diabetes, leukemia, kidney diseases, etc.) have oral manifestation. Once again, frequent check-ups are the key to early diagnosis.
Killing off harmful bacteria
Due to their nature, our teeth and the entire oral area are very exposed to various harmful bacteria. If not contained and destroyed, these bacteria can not only cause serious dental problems like gingivitis and periodontitis but also spread to other parts of your body. Once there, they can cause respiratory infections, pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, and infection of the heart chambers. The bacterial-caused inflammation can also spread from the oral area, damage your brain cells and in some cases even cause Alzheimer’s disease.
Prevention of root decay
If we take a short trip back to Australia, we can see that root canal treatments in Sydney and other populated cities are cited as one of the most common dental interventions. That should not come as a surprise since the roots of this problem (no pun intended) are pretty numerous, with the usual suspects being cavity, bacteria, acid and plaque formation. The good news is that most of them are pretty easy to address. You’ll just need a toothbrush, floss and will to use them.
Making pregnancy safer
We already mentioned the ways gum infections can spread and cause serious health problems. This issue is so severe it requires further exploration. Namely, research says that women with gum disease have a much higher chance of giving birth before the 35th week. In these circumstances, maintaining good dental care and checking-in at the dentist should be imperative. Just be sure to do all the interventions before you reach the third trimester because lying on the back in the weeks after may prove to be too strenuous.
Investing in your future
Once we get rid of milk teeth and get the permanent replacements, they are expected to last for a lifetime, so the better you maintain them the less you will need to worry as soon as you start to get old. However, there is an interesting twist to this story. Studies suggest that brushing your teeth before bed, using dental floss and visiting your dentist can actually increase your longevity, whilst the mortality rate with elderly population increases with every missing tooth. A good investment if there ever was one.
We hope these six compelling reasons will give you an incentive to pay more attention to dental care. Our teeth are an incredibly important part of our body and have a great influence on our overall health. All we need to do to keep them in shape is a bit of maintenance. Let’s show some good will.