Oral health is as important as exercise. Exercise keeps us from getting health problems and so does oral health. We can’t just do exercise but not care about our oral health; then in that case, we might as well not exercise.
Tooth decay is damage as the result of dental plaque building up on our teeth. The dental plaque bacteria coat our teeth; the plaque turns sugars into acid which causes tooth decay leading to gum disease. Prolonged gum disease increases our risk of serious health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. The body over-reacts to the bacteria around the gums and causes inflammation. The result of gum inflammation affects the bloodstream, and slowly damages blood vessels in our heart and brain over a period of time. Now we know, why exercise becomes obsolete if oral health is poor.
Bad oral health can break our confidence and prevents us from socialising. Sometimes even eating is painful in case we have toothache or tooth extractions.
Here’s word that will remind us what bad oral health can do to us: D-H-O-L-E-S
D – can lead to Diabetes
H – can lead to heart disease and stroke
O – one starts looking Older than biological age
L – bacteria from mouth enters the Lungs to create lung infections
E – you can have trouble Eating
S – can prevent you from Socialising
What would be the five things one would implement to maintain Oral Health?
Throughout our lives we try so hard trying to do everything right from taking a regular shower to investing. And, so many of us see our dentists every 6 months, and yet do nothing to bolster dental health in between visits. The next generation is following in these footsteps, neglecting their dental health on an even higher order.
This is what you must do at home which is lot more effective than visits to the dentist:
· Make healthy lifestyle choices, such as, focus on good nutrition, stop or even at least reduce smoking and alcohol consumption.
· Use a fluoride toothpaste, brush in circular motion, close to the gums, twice a day. Don’t use mouthwash, straight after brushing, or else it’ll wash away the concentrated fluoride in the toothpaste left on your teeth.
· Floss regularly – flossing isn’t just for dislodging debris left between your teeth but it reduces gum disease and bad breath.
· Keep your mouth free of any food, tea or coffee for up to 3 to 4 hours. If you do need to eat or drink, rinse off with mouthwash straight away, or use lemon water.
· Massage your gums every day for a minute or two.
I hear you say, what does massage got to do with gum health?
Many people pay for body massage because they understand that the #circulatorysystem improves through stimulus. It is the same principle that applies to gums. Gums anchor your teeth. If gums are weak, teeth start moving and the gums become diseased.
I discovered this principle serendipitously. I was nearing 50 when I was shocked to find one of my teeth slightly lose. My mind went to body massage. I started massaging my gums religiously – 2 to 3 times a day. I was surprised to see that the gum grew back, holding my tooth firmly again. I have not given up on this, meaning to say, even if your teeth are fine, massage your gums. This soft tissue of the mouth needs attention; you will see how the increased blood to flow to gums keeps them healthy, even gradually healing them. As a result, your gums will be less susceptible to gingivitis and periodontitis. I find that the short time commitment and simple action yields major oral health improvements.
The better attention you give to your gums, the better your gum health, and better your whole health and fewer visits to the dentist.
However, if one’s gums are in a state beyond at-home remedy, see a specialist. Therefore, all the more incentive to adopt these simple preventatives before things get out of hand.
In the conclusion, I think, if we don’t arrest this situation now, this silent epidemic of Oral health and bad breath will soon become an epidemic. This is a national health disaster that must be addressed. Again, it largely comes down to mindfulness. Fortunately, gum disease is much easier to prevent than is commonly realized, and that prevention ties into the body massage that is so widely popular today. So next time you book a body massage, ask yourself, have I done justice to my gums too?
Let me know if any of this worked. I will leave you with a transformative thought – If there is a heaven, the next big entity is your body.
