How Your Oral Health Impacts Overall Health

Dentists stress the importance of good oral hygiene: reminding you to floss twice a day, encouraging flossing on a regular basis, and insisting on routine dental visits. This is not only because they want to make sure your teeth stay healthy, rather, so that your whole body stays healthy.

Many people underestimate the importance of good oral hygiene, boiling it down to staying cavity free and having fresh breath. But in reality, poor oral health has been linked to a number of other health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and potentially even oral cancer¹.

The Domino Effect of Poor Oral Health

In a sense, bad oral health has a domino effect. Poor oral hygiene leads to diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. Both of these diseases affect your teeth and gums, which can eventually inhibit your ability to eat a normal, healthy diet.² The inflammation caused by periodontal disease can also increase the level of inflammation throughout your body, which increases the risk of heart disease.³

In essence, maintaining good oral health is very important to your overall wellbeing, especially as you age. By keeping your teeth and gums healthy, you can prevent inflammation caused by periodontal disease, and potentially increase your longevity.

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[1] Kittredge, C. Oral Hygiene and Your Overall Health (2015). Everyday Health. http://www.everydayhealth.com/dental-health/101/healthy-mouth-healthy-body.aspx

[2] Importance of Oral Health and Its Effect on Life Expectancy. (2015) http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2596613

[3] Healthy Gums and a Healthy Heart: The Perio-Cardio Connection. (2009) American Academy of Periodontology. https://www.perio.org/consumer/perio_cardio.htm