Keeping your mouth clean is important for many reasons. When you keep up on oral hygiene, your breath smells better, your teeth are whiter, and you avoid cavities. But did you know that keeping your mouth healthy is important for more than just your mouth? Having poor dental health can lead to a variety of other problems throughout your entire body. Much of the reason for this is that your mouth harbors bacteria, and when you don’t clean it out, you provide the bacteria the chance to make its way to other parts of your body. Below are some of the things you risk by not taking care of your mouth properly.
Gum disease
This one’s pretty obvious. If you don’t keep up on brushing and flossing, you risk periodontal disease--which is just another name for gum disease. Gum disease can be mild to severe and can lead to tooth loss, so it’s a great idea to avoid this with daily oral hygiene.
Diabetes
There is a remarkably high number of people with diabetes who also have some form of gum disease. The inflammation in your mouth lowers your body’s ability to deal with blood sugar through insulin. When you have high blood sugar, it creates an environment where infection can grow, making your gum disease, in turn, even worse.
Heart Disease
Heart disease goes hand-in-hand with poor oral health. This is often because a lot of the same habits lead to both such as smoking and poor diet. However, even if it’s just a lack of brushing and flossing, gum disease is thought to contribute to your risk of heart disease. Taking steps to protect your mouth can help prevent heart issues later down the road.
Lung Conditions
Like many of the other organs in your body, your lungs become at highly susceptible to problems when you have poor oral health. Some of the risks you increase by taking poor care of your mouth include pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. The bacteria from your mouth finds its way to your lungs and can do some serious damage.
Of course, the list is not limited to these problems. They are just among some of the most likely and worst issues that can arise from poor oral health. Do your body a favor and avoid these by keeping up on your oral hygiene and seeing your dentist regularly. You will thank yourself!
Courtesy of...
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oral-health-the-mouth-body-connection
http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/conditions/gum-disease/article/sw-281474979066921
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475
