Why a Healthy Mouth is GOOD for your Body

At Sand Springs Family Dentistry, we feel the mouth is important to the overall health of your body.

Taking good care of your mouth, teeth and gums is a worthy goal in and of itself. Good oral and dental hygiene can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease—and can help you keep your teeth as you get older.

Researchers are also discovering new reasons to brush and floss. A healthy mouth may help you ward off medical disorders. The flip side? An unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor.

The case for good oral hygiene keeps getting stronger. Understand the importance of oral health — and its connection to your overall health.

What’s in your mouth reveals much about your health

What does the health of your mouth have to do with your overall health? In a word, plenty. A look inside or a swab of saliva can tell your doctor volumes about what’s going on inside your body.Your mouth is a window into what’s going on in the rest of your body, often serving as a helpful vantage point for detecting the early signs and symptoms of systemic disease — a disease that affects or pertains to your entire body, not just one of its parts.

Protection against harmful invaders: How saliva disables bacteria and viruses

Saliva is also one of your body’s main defenses against disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria and viruses. It contains antibodies that attack viral pathogens, such as the common cold. Saliva also protects you against disease-causing bacteria. It contains enzymes that destroy bacteria in different ways, by degrading bacterial membranes.

Plaque as cause of common conditions

Long-term gum infection can eventually result in the loss of your teeth. But the consequences may not end there. Recent research suggests that there may be an association between oral infections — primarily gum infections — and poorly controlled diabetes, cardiovascular disease and preterm birth. The relationship between your oral health and your overall health is becoming increasingly linked. Resolve to practice good oral hygiene every day. You’re making an investment in your overall health, not just for now, but for the future, too.

 

Do you have more questions? Feel free to message us on Facebook, or contact the team here at Sand Springs Family Dentistry today!

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Dr. Jacob Whitney

Dr. Whitney is a licensed and board-certified dentist in the State of Oklahoma who's greatest desire to give his patients the best care possible in the most comfortable environment. It is his promise to provide you with all the options and his recommendations but to never recommend a treatment that is not necessary for your oral health.

Read more about Dr. Whitney

403 E Broadway

Sand Springs, OK

918-245-5979

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