Importance of Dental Health in Your Daily Life

Dental health was once considered secondary to general well-being but with the increase in literacy and awareness about the disease, it has risen to the forefront. People are increasingly drawn to dental clinics in India seeking therapeutic and preventive advice for oral diseases. Maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial for good general health as well. Let us take a look at the importance of keeping your oral structures healthy.

1. Gum, Teeth and Bone Health:

The three primary structures that are covered in dental health are the periodontium (the gum and bone surrounding the teeth), tongue, palate, mucosa and the teeth. Poor oral hygiene can result in tartar build up. Over time, the layer of tartar causes gum infections and bone resorption, leading to weakening of the supporting structures and ultimately premature loss of a tooth. Dental decay is common in patients visiting dental clinics in India. Decay is a tooth disease caused by an accumulation of food and its chemical breakdown by bacteria. Malodour or halitosis is a common complaint in patients with poor oral hygiene.

2. Oral Health and Diabetes:

Research has proven that periodontal disease affects the body’s ability to break down the sugar by utilizing insulin. This can aggravate or complicate diabetes. Diabetic patients have high incidences of periodontal bone loss as well, indicating the two-way relationship between oral health and diabetes. High blood sugar leads to high susceptibility to gum infections too.

3. Oral disease complicates heart disease:

Studies have linked oral diseases with high-risks of heart diseases as well. Although the connecting link has not been firmly established, it is common to see the two conditions co-exist. Dental clinics in India get many patients with heart disease further complicated by poor oral hygiene. Since the causative factors in both the cases (smoking, obesity and unhealthy diet) are similar, it is no shock that the two might be inter-related. Patients with valvular defects can develop endocarditis if they have decayed teeth or infected gums.

4. Effects on other diseases:

Poor oral hygiene can complicate pneumonia and infectious lung diseases. It can also aggravate COPD by increasing the bacterial load in the lungs. Bone diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis share a controversial yet crucial link to the jaw as well. Periodontitis and osteoporosis in jaw bones are frequently seen in relation to bone diseases elsewhere in the body. Additionally, babies born to mothers with oral infectious diseases during pregnancy can have premature births or lower birth weights.