Good oral hygiene protects you against mouth infections and reduces your risk of contracting other serious health problems by a significant margin. While most of us have a sense of oral hygiene, there are lots of ways your mouth, teeth and gums can affect other parts of your body. Below are five ways in which oral hygiene affects your body’s wellbeing.

Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you are generally more prone to gum diseases; therefore, it is paramount to exercise good oral hygiene to reduce the risk of contracting any oral problems. However, if you do not have diabetes, you should be on the lookout too. A recent study has shown that severe gum diseases can contribute to someone getting diabetes because it affects someone’s blood glucose control.

When you get a periodontal disease due to poor oral hygiene, the causal bacteria will produce toxins that tempers with the body’s carbohydrate metabolism. Your body’s response to periodontal infection could also increase insulin resistance in your body, thus, making this a two-way risk of contracting diabetes. Therefore, be on the watch and exercise good oral hygiene to reduce the risk of contracting diabetes.

Pregnancy

If you are expecting to deliver a newborn in your gestation period, then you have to be on the lookout about your oral health. A pregnant woman with severe and progressive gum disease is prone to develop gestational diabetes or deliver an underweight baby. It will be of help if you visit a dentist for checkups when pregnant to ensure that you are in a good oral condition and not likely to get a gum infection, which can affect your pregnancy. If you’re wondering, “how do I find a dentist near me?” There are likely many options in your area and the internet can be a great resource to see what’s available and read reviews on their services. As such, the dentist will help keep your teeth at the best conditions for the sake of your unborn child.

Cardiovascular Disease

Studies have shown that gum inflammation could increase your risk of stroke or heart disease. Gum disease could lead to inflammation in other parts of the body, which could trigger cardiovascular disease. According to statistics, people with periodontal diseases are at a higher risk of getting a fatal heart attack than people with a healthy mouth. Inflammation is one of the leading causes of heart disease. Therefore, an inflamed gum puts you at a higher risk of getting a severe heart condition. It also triggers inflammation in other body parts.

Cancer

I am sure you know the dangers of smoking not only to your mouth but also to your entire body. However, for this piece, we will only discuss what it does to your vocal parts. Smoking could quickly make you get oral cancer, decolorizes your teeth, and contributes to tooth loss. Smoking will generally induce bad oral health, which could lead to more significant health problems. For instance, smoking could trigger a gum disease that may cause inflammation, which increases your chances of getting a more severe heart disease.

Lung and Respiratory Problems

If you have not been keen on observing proper oral hygiene, you could develop periodontal diseases meaning you will have more bacteria in your mouth. Thus, you are more likely to inhale germs, which could lead to lung infections. Moreover, if you have a preexisting lung problem, and at the same time, you also get periodontal disease, then you are prone to get a more severe lung infection. Sometimes, the body will not be able to adequately fight the lung infections due to the underlying lung conditions in which case death might occur. Therefore, it is essential to exercise good oral health to avoid lung infections.

Therefore, make it a habit to brush your teeth regularly and do dental flossing, to ensure that you exhibit good oral health to avoid infections. Be sure to normalize visiting your dentist for checkups to ensure that your mouth is happy and healthy.