“Can your oral health affect your overall health?”
I am 37 year old male. I don't go to the dentist, but I take care of my teeth by brushing and flossing them every day. Is it important to go to the dentist even if my teeth seem okay? Can your oral health affect your overall health?
7 Answers
Yes, recent studies reveal the relationship between gum disease and heart conditions. Also, severe decay or missing teeth effect chewing and can place stress on the digestive process resulting in malnutrition and reflux.
I am glad you brush and floss daily, but your dentist can check for things that you can't. Yes, disease-causing bacteria in the oral cavity can affect your overall health, including heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and also breast cancer connection has been noticed in women.
Yes it is important to go to the dentist, even if your teeth seem ok. Even if teeth aren't hurting it is possible for unseen cavities to develop. Catching cavities when they are small and non-painful allows them to be fixed with smaller or more conservative treatments. Once a tooth starts to hurt or "look like there's a cavity" then typically more extensive work needs to be done. If you haven't had a cavity in a long time, and haven't had many fillings or other dental work done you could ask your dentist about extending the time between cleanings to 12 or 18 months instead of 6.
Brushing and flossing is great, but there is so much that you can not see. That is why we take xrays on a regular basis and look at your teeth and surrounding tissues under magnification. Many diseases of the body first show signs in the oral tissues as well as a bacterial infection in your mouth can spread to other parts of the body.
Regular 6-month check-ups are important. If you are performing good oral home care, that is excellent. But with 6-month recalls, something as small as a cavity can be detected early and treated. Even gums and tissue can be evaluated for overall health. If there is anything abnormal; early detection is beneficial. Most definitely, oral health can affect your overall health!!
Yes, oral health has a very definite relationship to Overal health. Regular dental checkups are Important to maintaining optimal oral health. You wIll need not only a visual oral exam, but x-rays as well as possibly other diagnostic aids
Yes you still need to have routine check ups. There are a lot of things that dentists check in an exam session, looking for cavities, TMJ issues, oral cancer, abnormalities in oral cavity & ...
Not all the buildups on the teeth can be removed by just brushing and flossing.
Not all the buildups on the teeth can be removed by just brushing and flossing.
