How Does Your Dental Health Affect Your Overall Health?
Most of us are aware that a healthy mouth and gums are usually indicative of good overall health, but what happens when our oral health isn’t up to scratch? Does this mean that our all-round health is also affected?
In essence, probably yes!
Lower nutritional intake
If you have missing or broken teeth for example and are in need of teeth dentures, bridges, or dental implants in Richmond then there’s a pretty good chance that you aren’t able to chew your food properly. Because sufficient mastication is vital to extracting all the key nutrients out of a variety of foods, then your body might not be getting all of the nutritional components it needs.
Further to this, food that hasn’t been chewed properly takes longer to pass through the gut into the digestive system. As a result unchewed foods provides sources of nutrition for opportunistic bad bacteria and fungi which also lurk in the digestive system. This can bring about bloating, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and a variety of other problems.
Limited diets
Some people seeking dental implants in Richmond may already be long-term denture wearers. Over the years, dentures become loose as your facial bone structure changes. When this happens they become very difficult to keep in place. Aside from this they may also start to rub and make your mouth sore. Typically, people faced with this predicament tend to avoid any difficult to eat foods in favour of softer foods simply because they’re easier to eat. As a result a patient could be limiting their nutritional intake dramatically. In turn, this could have an effect on their overall health.
Gum disease
In some cases gum disease can bring about heart problems including strokes and clogged arteries especially if you’re already susceptible to the condition in the first instance. Severe gum disease will allow bad bacteria to enter the body through the bloodstream and it’s these bad bacteria that can bring about a very bad infection or sometimes worse.
The point is that if you want to maintain your overall health you really need to maintain good oral health. The best way to do this is as follows –
- Make sure your toothbrush is replaced at least every couple of months or not sooner
- Keep to regular dental check-ups at least twice a year. This way your hygienist can help you keep plaque, and more importantly tartar, at bay. Your dentist can also spot any problems and deal with them early, should they arise.
- Keep an eye on what you eat, swapping the sweet stuff for antioxidants which are great for you teeth and body as a whole. These include green tea, blueberries, pomegranates and cranberries and most importantly…
- Stay in tune with what your mouth is telling you. If there’s a problem seek advice from your dentist as soon as you can.
If you want to find out more about how a healthy mouth and a full set of teeth can improve your overall well-being, then contact Sheen dental implants in Richmond are within your grasp once you set the ball rolling. To do this contact 020 8876 5277 and book yourself a free, no-obligation consultation. Alternatively you can take a look at our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk where you can find a wealth of information and advice.