Why Having Good Teeth Is Great For Your General Health

We all know that we should look after our teeth. It’s drilled into us as children, and reinforced all the way through our adult lives. There are tons of reasons why, and every so often it’s always good to remind ourselves of them! At AP Smilecare, this week we’ve taken the limit of rounding some up for you.

Protecting Ourselves From Infections

First of all, there’s a solid link between our dental health and our general health. According to the American Academy of General Dentistry, more than 90% of all systemic diseases “produce oral signs and symptoms”. In other words, the health of our mouth is a pretty good signifier of how the rest of our body’s doing. Signs of nutritional deficiencies, general infection or other conditions (like diabetes) can become visible first through your mouth, so keeping up your dental health means your doctor has a better chance of spotting things like this early.

In fact, apart from diabetes, strokes, heart problems and early-term infants are all problems that have been linked to poor oral health. There’s some theory that the infections you pick up in your mouth – for example gum disease – then affect your general health too. The results of the studies don’t seem to be concrete at the moment yet, but there’s definitely enough evidence for it to be worth being careful anyway!

Good Dental Health Means Eating And Speaking Properly

Our mouth is one of the many parts of our bodies that’s in near constant use – as you’ll know if you ever had braces as a child! Gingivitis (gum disease) can wreak some serious havoc on our lives, and somehow it’s still often underestimated. Losing teeth means you might have to give up on foods you love. Crusty bread and crunchy chocolate are definitely two options out of the equation, and that’s just off the top of our heads! Keeping up your dental health means that you get to continue eating what you want without having to make sacrifices.

Then there’s the issue of communication. Advanced gum disease or other dental conditions might well affect your ability to talk properly, which would be absolutely rubbish. It can be frustrating at best, and distressing at worst when trying – and failing – to make yourself understood. With great oral health, you’ll have no such worries.

And that’s all without mentioning the worst part; it can be really painful! The process of losing your teeth – when the connective tissue is damaged and bacteria eats into your dentine – is exactly as painful as it sounds. The good news is that the above is a description of a really advanced stage of the process, and up to a certain point it’s even reversible. All the more reason to look after your dental hygiene!

Your Smile Is Important To You

We set a lot of store by a good smile. It looks fantastic and what’s more, it often brightens our day! So when we feel our own isn’t quite up to scratch, it can sometimes really damage our self-confidence. But it doesn’t have to!

If you look after your teeth, your teeth with look after you – you can rely on an awesome smile that will stand the test of time. Meanwhile at AP Smilecare, we’ve got a range of dental treatments to give you that helping hand, such as our Smile Makeover treatment – which is aimed at keeping your smile look truly stunning.

To book an appointment, call 01254 297 000, and our friendly members of staff will be only too happy to help!

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