New year, new you
Here we go again. It hardly seems like we’ve had time to blink and it’s already the end of 2018 and time to think of resolutions that we will faithfully see through. OK, so the gym resolution didn’t exactly go according to plan, but now you can have another shot at it. But there is another way to get healthier and that’s by looking at your diet and oral health.
Just how good are you at brushing your teeth? Did you know that to have great oral health, you need to brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes, using a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste. You also need to floss once a day to get rid of trapped food. Interdental brushes also do a good job.
Twice a year, you also need to get yourself along to the hygienist at Forest Dental in Loughton to get any remaining plaque and tartar removed. This won’t just make your teeth last longer by protecting them against gum disease, but it will also help protect you from other systemic diseases, as will having a healthy diet.
It’s important to remember that everything in your body is connected to everything else.
For example, did you know that:
Diabetes
If you have got diabetes, you are more liable to get a serious oral infection than a non-diabetic person. This could be from gum disease, tooth decay, or dry mouth.
Gum disease links
Gum disease starts off with inflammation of the gums. Inflammation is directly linked to many diseases, and chances are that if your gums are inflamed, there is inflammation going on elsewhere in the body. So, there are direct links between oral health and heart disease, stroke, as well as premature births and low birth weight.
Oral bacteria
Oral bacteria are also linked to other health issues, such as lung disease, kidney disease and even brain health. This is because, if you have a lot of bacteria in your mouth, you can breathe them down into your lungs where they can pass through the lung wall and into your bloodstream.
Make 2019 the year you improve your oral hygiene routine and you could see knock-on health effects all over your body.