Healthy Mouth = Healthy Body
Prioritizing Our Health is the First Step to Natural Beauty
In a society that often emphasizes outer appearance as the epitome of beauty, we must remind ourselves of a timeless truth - true beauty emanates from within. It transcends the superficial and becomes a remarkable reflection of our very essence, and it all starts with taking care of our body and mind.
A beautiful smile is a healthy smile. When you think of oral hygiene you may believe it only affects your teeth and gums, but in reality, your mouth is a gateway to the rest of your body. Learn why you should put extra thought into your dental hygiene routine and how poor oral care can lead to poor health in general or much worse.
DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Metsä Cosmetics is not licenced to give out medical advice. We are a cosmetics company publishing a blog meant to encourage a happy, educated, and holistic lifestyle. Please speak to your medical professional about any information you read on our blog.
What Other Problems Can Poor Oral Health Cause?
Great question! Aside from the obvious answers of cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath, it turns out that not keeping up with your brushing can lead to serious respiratory system issues such as COPD, pneumonia, and bronchitis. You may be aware that good bacteria are essential for a healthy body. These good bacteria live in our digestive system, mouth, skin, and a woman’s vagina, and help our bodies function normally! On the flip side, bad bacteria can also live in these spaces which is why it’s essential to have good hygiene. Bad bacteria can live in dental plaque and will continuously grow and multiply if not cleaned regularly, which then makes the event of them moving down to your lungs through the throat more likely. This event can worsen pre-existing respiratory issues or cause new infections depending on your immune system (link).
Plaque build-up is also thought to play a role in cardiovascular problems. Research by Harvard Health shows that those with periodontal disease have up to three times the risk of having a serious cardiovascular event such as stroke and heart attack. As we know, hundreds of species of bacteria can live in the human mouth, but in the case of bad bacteria travelling to your bloodstream and becoming trapped in a fatty substance located in your arteries also called plaque, this creates a serious problem. Because of the bacteria, the plaque can become too fragile and break away from the artery lining, which then causes clots to form. When a blood clot moves through the bloodstream it’s likely it will cause a blockage leading to serious emergencies such as strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and heart attacks. Harvard Health make clear it may not be a direct connection and that shared risk factors like tobacco usage, and poor diet, may explain the connection, however, there is increased suspicion that gum disease could be an independent risk factor. You can read more about the connection here.
How Can You Take Better Care of Your Mouth?
Consistency. Like everything in life, you have to be consistent. Show up for yourself even with seemingly small habits like brushing your teeth. Every time you brush you’re doing yourself (and your partner) a favour. Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each session using a fluoride toothpaste with a soft-bristled brush. Specifically, you should angle your toothbrush at 45 degrees toward your gums as it helps brush away plaque and bacteria located near them.
You should floss once daily, preferably after your last meal. Dental professionals have noted that whilst water flossers are a great alternative to traditional string floss, they don’t quite remove all the biofilm from the tooth’s surface, so you should consider pairing it with regular dental floss.
Brush. Your. Tongue. Tongue scraping has been around for centuries as an Ayurvedic practice. Ayurveda considers the tongue as a map of your body with different areas representing different organs. Well, considering what we just learned about bad bacteria moving to the rest of the body from the mouth, it’s not far off! Dentists recommend you should brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth in order to remove all remaining bacteria from the mouth. You can read more about Ayurvedic Tongue Scraping here.
Use an alcohol-free antibacterial mouthwash every day: in the morning, after lunch, and before bed.
Best Tips for a Healthy and Happy Smile
Eat a balanced diet low in sugars. We all know that sugar is essentially the enemy of teeth, but that doesn’t mean you should completely cut it out. Healthy amounts followed by a proper brushing routine should lead you in the right direction! No tobacco or nicotine products. The damage tobacco and nicotine do to your body in general is bad enough, but it destroys your teeth and gums. Smoking is the leading cause of gum disease and oral cancer. If you’re interested in quitting talk to your healthcare provider about options that can help or visit this link.
By far the best tip we can give you is to see your dental professional regularly for checkups or cleanings. Try not to think of the dentist as a daunting task or as something you’d rather put off because you don’t think it's important at the moment, try to re-frame the visits as something you’re doing for your long-term health and benefit. Visit our Pinterest to discover more tips and practices for a healthy and glowing smile!
