Maintaining good oral health is not only important for ensuring that all of the components of the mouth are kept healthy and functioning properly, but it is also important for preventing the development of other health conditions and preserving your general health. A healthy mouth allows us to eat, speak, and breathe properly, as having functional teeth and healthy gums is essential to quality of life. Having gums or teeth that are of poor health can lead to losing teeth or developing infections that can continue to spread and actually start to affect your health beyond just your mouth cavity by spreading into your blood and risking infection spread to other parts of the body. Poor hygiene for the teeth and gums has been linked to more serious health conditions and complications with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. It is also important to remember that the mouth is the entry point of the respiratory and digestive systems, with bacteria that accumulate in the mouth having direct access to these other bodily systems.

The primary components of good oral health include daily care through brushing twice and flossing to remove plaque that builds up between the teeth. Aside from personal daily oral hygiene, it is important that you schedule a visit with a dentist at least once annually if not once every 6 months for a professional cleaning, regardless of the health of your teeth. Even those who do not have natural teeth remaining or have dentures should continue to visit the dentist regularly to ensure the health of their gums and remaining oral tissues. It is also very important to avoid partaking in habits or activities that are harmful to the teeth and gums wherever possible, such as smoking tobacco.

Some indicators that more care and attention should be taken to maintain proper oral hygiene include:

– Having chronic bad breath
– Experiencing sensitivity whenever consuming foods or drinks that are hot or cold
– Chronic dry mouth
– Discoloration of the teeth (specifically yellowing of the teeth)
– Chronic sinus infections
– Problems with digestion, bacteria collecting in the mouth and then making their way down through the digestive tract have been linked to inflammatory bowel disease

Any significant changes in the teeth or gums can be indicative of something wrong that requires professional dental attention for treatment. The earlier dental problems are caught, the greater chance there is of properly treating the problem. Leaving dental problems untreated leads to an increased chance of having to extract natural teeth and replace them with implants or dentures, which quickly becomes far more expensive than treating a cavity or receiving a deep cleaning on a result basis. Just following proper oral hygiene and visiting the dentist will help to drastically minimize the chances of suffering from bad oral hygiene.

Proper oral hygiene just means ensuring that the teeth and gums are regularly cleaned. At-home care involves brushing your teeth daily with fluoride toothpaste for at least one to two minutes, making sure to clean around every tooth as much as possible. Flossing should be done on a daily basis, taking extra care to remove as much plaque and tartar as possible from around the teeth and gums. To ensure that all of the little nooks and crannies of the teeth and gums are properly cleaned on a regular basis, it is very important that everyone visits the dentist every 6 months to receive cleanings, exams, and dental x-rays so that any preventative care can be provided to maintain proper oral hygiene.

Visit us at Friends Family Dental and Orthodontics for professional, and caring services. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are located at 2120 Ocean Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11229. We look forward to serving you! We serve patients from Brooklyn, NY Manhattan NY, Bronx NY, Hoboken NJ, West New York NJ, and surrounding areas.