The Importance of Good Oral Hygiene

How often do you brush and floss your teeth? Do you keep your regular scheduled dental visits twice a year? Dental professionals suggest that you brush at least twice a day and floss daily in addition to keeping up with your regular dental visits for good oral health.

Humana Dental says; “Poor oral hygiene can increase your chances of developing heart disease. Professional teeth cleanings will reduce the bacteria that cause inflammation and eventually lead to heart disease (Veterans General Hospital in Taipei).”

Even with brushing twice a day you can still develop unhealthy gums if  you do not floss. Healthy gums are NOT suppose to bleed! So if you do not floss it may be a good idea to start. If you notice bleeding it could be an early sign of inflammation, but with continued flossing it should go away within two weeks says. You may struggle with flossing especially when your teeth a close together making it difficult to place the floss in between the teeth. There are several types of floss for sensitive gums which you can use.

Many individuals with gum disease could have been prevented. CDC Statistics says;

Oral Health Problems Are Preventable, Common, and Painful

• Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 years and half of those aged 12–15 years. About half of all children and two-thirds of adolescents aged 12–19 years from lower-income families have had decay.
• Children and adolescents of some racial and ethnic groups and those from lower-income families have more untreated tooth decay. For example, 40% of Mexican American children aged 6–8 years have untreated decay, compared with 25% of non-Hispanic whites. Among all adolescents aged 12–19 years, 20% currently have untreated decay.
• Advanced gum disease affects 4%–12% of U.S. adults. Half of the cases of severe gum disease in the United States are the result of cigarette smoking. The prevalence of gum disease is three times higher among smokers than among people who have never smoked.
• One-fourth of U.S. adults aged 65 or older have lost all of their teeth.
• More than 7,800 people, mostly older Americans, die from oral and pharyngeal cancers each year. This year, about 36,500 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed.

Now that you know the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene, you should take all measures in staying in good health both orally and overall. Poor hygiene can lead to poor health and can develop life threating illnesses. Make it a priority to be in balance and maintain your beautiful smile by doing more to improve your health.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/doh.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88948/

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/dental_abscess/article_em.htm

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