Importance of Teeth Cleaning and Oral Hygiene

Have you been putting off your annual checkup with the dentist? OR Did you skip it altogether? If you are guilty of either one of those, well, unfortunately, you are not alone. A recent survey of 2,000 adults in Canada concluded that 5 in 10 adults were scared or uncomfortable when it came to paying a visit to the dentist. 

The percentage is even more harrowing in terms of people who floss regularly. We are all aware that regular dental checkups help to maintain those pearly whites. Good oral health is essential for overall health, and we are here to discuss the importance of teeth cleaning and oral hygiene.

Does dental health actually affect your medical health? According to the best orthodontist in Mississauga, the answer is yes! And you do not even know it. Most people equate their dental health to the absence of discomfort or pain- “Nothing hurts, no pain, so I must be doing fine!” 

Just because your body isn’t able to forewarn you by causing discomfort doesn't automatically mean that it's doing fine. Ninety percent of dental infections have absolutely no pain. You read that right- “No Pain” Gum disease doesn’t hurt. Most tooth infections don’t either. People are genuinely surprised when they hear this but quickly accept the fact that high blood pressure doesn’t hurt, diabetes doesn’t hurt, and glaucoma and cancer don't hurt either.

There are over 217,000 deaths a year in Canada from heart attacks. That’s a lot. Some researchers believe that 50% of those heart attacks are triggered by dental infections. That's over 100,000 deaths per year in Canada caused by preventable dental ailments. I bet you weren’t aware that dental hygiene has a direct correlation to keeping your ticker beating properly. 

Researchers are finding oral bacteria in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Rheumatoid arthritis is affected by the body’s inflammatory response to dental infections. Oral bacteria are known to cause pregnancy complications- from pre-term births to stillborns. Our teeth and gums are major players in our body’s health. 

When a doctor tells you that there is an infection somewhere in your body, our first question should be where did the bacteria come from? Unless we have open cuts, wounds or sores somewhere on our body, there’s a really good chance they're coming in through our body’s front door i.e., “our mouth” If we can keep our mouth really clean, we are helping to remove or eliminate the bacteria that have already been proven to cause multiple life-threatening diseases and they are adding more to the list every year. 

We are going to share with you some simple steps to work with to have a healthy mouth and avoid some of these horrible diseases. 

Begin at home: 

Thoroughly clean your mouth every day at home. You know the drill- Brush your teeth gently, twice every day. Do not skip flossing (at least once per day). The objective is to get the bacteria off the teeth without damaging the tooth or the gums. 

Visit a good doctor: 

Bacterias love to hide where a toothbrush or flossette can not reach. That’s where your dentist comes into the picture. The dreaded teeth scraping and the annoying x-rays aren’t always enjoyable, and we do not claim otherwise. But getting your teeth cleaned every six months can save you the real pesky troubles (that are bound to cause you a lot more discomfort than the monstrous dental chair.) If you pay a biannual visit to your dentist, they will be able to catch cavities when they are much smaller. And there’s added benefit in the long run- You actually get to keep your teeth when you are much older. Based on a recent survey in Canada- among people aged 60-79, 22.3% of men and 21.1% of women have no natural teeth. That’s a testament to how serious people are about dental health and the related issues.

Now that we have discussed the second line of defence to safeguard your dental hygiene; let's get a common misconception out of the way. While your dentist can prevent the worsening of dental issues, maintaining oral health is a team effort. You cannot wash your hands of a thorough dental regime simply because you do not miss out on your appointments and vice versa. 

It would do us good to remember that mouth is the entry point of our body, and that’s why it is more susceptible to diseases. Hence we must make a conscious effort to retain its health. Furthermore, keeping it healthy automatically reduces the chances of several illnesses. If you have any questions, feel free to head over to the AIMS Dentistry website. AIMS Dentistry has the Best Orthodontist in Mississauga who will love to answer all your queries. Additionally, we also offer many holistic dental services like Teeth Whitening Mississauga, Preventive Diagnosis, Root Canal and much more.