The Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Health: What You Need to Know

Issues with your teeth are rarely isolated to your mouth and the effects can quickly spread and manifest in other ways. So, if you suffer from frequent chest infections, your teeth could be to blame. And if you have digestive issues, this could be linked to issues with your bite.

In this guide, we’re looking at some of the ways your oral health is linked to your wider health and how you can protect both by making your teeth and gums a priority.

The link between oral health and wider health

Your mouth is the start of your digestive tract and your respiratory tract. It’s an essential part of your body for delivering oxygen and nutrients. Keeping your teeth healthy can help to stop the spread of bacteria throughout your body. It will also enable you to eat a varied diet and to chew your food properly.

Increased plaque buildup on your teeth has also been linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This is due to the presence of bacteria in the body which is able to pass into the bloodstream and cause inflammation throughout the body.

While the plaque that builds up on arteries does not come directly from the teeth, there is a correlation between gum disease and heart disease. For this reason, it is essential to take good care of your teeth throughout your life, even into old age.

Gum health as a signal of wider health

If you want to know if you are putting yourself at risk of wider health problems as a result of your oral health, it’s worth booking a trip to the dentist or dental hygienist. Your gums give a picture of your wider oral health.

If you notice that your gums bleed when you brush your teeth, or if you’ve noticed that your gums look pink and inflamed, this could be an early sign of gum disease. Bacteria in your mouth can spread throughout your body and cause inflammation. This inflammation puts extra strain on your body and can lead to widespread health issues.

Left untreated, gum disease can have widespread consequences for your oral health. Inflammation in the gums leads to the tissue receding, which leaves the tooth exposed and less supported. This can eventually lead to tooth loss if the inflammation and infection spreads to the tooth socket.

Tooth loss can then cause digestive issues by making it more difficult to eat a varied diet and to chew your food correctly. If you swallow your food without chewing it first, you could be missing out on nutrients from your food. Not to mention, you could also end up with stomach problems as a result of not chewing your food.

Lifestyle habits that impact oral health and wider health

Poor diet and lifestyle choices such as smoking can also have a negative impact on your oral health and your wider health. By addressing one, you can address the other. It’s also possible for other health conditions to have an impact on your oral health.

For example, those living with diabetes may need to be more vigilant with their oral health. This is due to the higher glucose levels in their saliva which can have an impact on your teeth.

When you commit to taking better care of your teeth, this often translates to improved lifestyle choices. This is particularly true for those who invest in cosmetic procedures to improve their smiles as this can encourage them to take better care of their teeth.

How to protect your oral health

The best way to safeguard your oral health is through daily oral care and regular trips to the dentist. As you get older, your daily brushing and flossing requirements may change, so you might need to adapt to new challenges.

It’s also worthwhile to add regular dental hygienist visits to your routine. Between one and two visits per year is typically enough to protect your oral health against bacteria buildup. If you have advanced gum disease, you might need more frequent visits to manage this.