Oral Health and Your Wellbeing: The Mouth-Body Connection

How much attention do you give to your oral health, and are you aware of the role it can play in your health and wellbeing? If the answers to these questions are no, then it’s time we changed your mindset about oral health. 

Oral health is about more than warding off bad breath, although it’s an important consideration. It’s about more than having pearly whites. Your oral health plays a significant part in your overall wellbeing, and more and more studies are being conducted to confirm this connection. For example, gum disease has been linked to inflammation in other parts of the body and can be a contributing factor to conditions such as heart disease and even cognitive decline.

 

Modern Approaches to a Healthy Smile

These days, as technology evolves and people become more aware of how to improve their health, new approaches are being developed for enhanced treatments for health care and oral care, too. 

 

While traditional oral care, such as brushing and flossing, is essential for a healthy mouth, modern dentistry is following a more holistic approach and adopting more minimally invasive treatment options.

 

This path towards overall wellness is leading to the introduction of treatments such as ozone therapy. Ozone therapy uses ozone, a naturally occurring form of oxygen, which has powerful antibacterial properties. When used for dental care, it is done so to disinfect the mouth, primarily areas of decay, and can help support the healing of gum infections and even decrease sensitivity. The reason this is becoming so popular is that it is done without the need for invasive chemicals or procedures. While not a complete replacement of traditional dental treatments, it is an extremely beneficial option to consider.

 

Confidence

Wellness isn’t just about how you look and how your body operates; it’s about you and your mental health and confidence, too. There’s a psychological side to dental care that’s worth taking into account.

 

A healthy smile can boost your mood and confidence and help you feel better. If you’re not happy with how your mouth looks, you’re likely to shy away from talking to others and miss out on opportunities because you feel less confident and unable to take up space where you need to. 

 

A healthy smile can rectify this. This is because the act of smiling triggers the release of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters and can also reduce stress hormones.

 

Supporting Good Overall Health

Now that we know more about how dental health can impact life and wellbeing, it’s vital that you understand how to achieve that perfect smile.

 

Using a soft-bristle toothbrush or an electric one can help you to remove plaque and buildup from teeth, a tongue scraper will remove any residue from your tongue, and flossing can remove plaque and any lodged food from between teeth. But primarily, the most important thing you need to know is to maintain regular oral care, is to maintain regular appointments with your dentist for help and guidance on the best way to address and treat any dental concerns as they appear. Prevention is better than a cure, as they say, and this is true for your oral health.