The Importance of Maintaining Oral Hygiene
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There’s a reason why dentists recommend regular check-ups and oral hygiene maintenance. Keeping teeth and gums clean is conducive to both oral and overall health. Otherwise, there’s a much higher risk of severe health conditions, which can be easily prevented.
In this article, we’ll highlight the importance of maintaining oral hygiene and recommend a few ways of doing so.
Why oral hygiene is so important
People sometimes neglect their oral hygiene, thinking no harm can come of it. However, maintaining oral hygiene has enormous significance:
It impacts overall health
The mouth is a gateway to the internal body parts, but it’s also an indicator of various systemic diseases. These issues often manifest themselves in the mouth as a gum infection or mouth lesion.
For example, people suffering from periodontal disease are more likely to have heart disease or diabetes. But many other health complications can be caused by improper oral hygiene:
Sepsis
Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
Dementia
Infective endocarditis
Bacterial pneumonia
Pregnancy complications such as low birth weight
Keeping the gums and teeth healthy are simple ways to help prevent these conditions.
Oral hygiene prevents tooth loss
Poor dental hygiene is one of the leading causes of tooth loss. It encourages plaque build-up, resulting in severe gum infection and tooth decay, and tooth loss is almost inevitable.
Regular flossing and brushing go a long way to reducing plaque build-up. But to ensure the teeth are in good condition, people should have their teeth cleaned professionally by a dentist at least twice a year.
Oral hygiene lets you detect oral diseases early
Regular trips to the dentists are an easy way to detect oral diseases early. Again, please do this at least twice a year to discover any oral diseases in their early stages.
How to maintain oral hygiene
Take the following measures to protect the teeth and gums and avoid complications:
Use fluoridated toothpaste to brush the teeth twice a day and floss to get rid of food stuck between the teeth
Drink fluoridated tap water and limit sugar intake to decrease tooth decay
Wear a mouthguard while playing sports to avoid teeth loss caused by injuries
Don’t smoke since it contributes to oral cancer and gum disease
Take dentifrices to fight tartar, gingivitis, and plaque
In addition to a toothbrush, use an oral irrigating device to remove plaque
Keep it nice and clean
Oral hygiene isn’t a trifling matter. If you fail to maintain it properly, many health conditions may arise and severely harm your well-being.
Luckily, they can be easily avoided. Just follow the good hygiene practices and schedule regular check-ups with a dentist to keep teeth and gums in great shape.
If you need a gentle, caring dental team, please call Jennifer Fineberg’s office at (623) 362-2550. We’ll give you the very best dental care we can!
