Do you take your oral health seriously?

More and more studies are showing the importance of oral health for quality of life and as a factor in preventing a number of serious diseases. Understand and prevent!

When we talk about oral health, we’re talking about much more than aesthetics. Clearly a beautiful smile plays an important role in your emotional and social well-being, but what many people still don’t know is that the health of the mouth is linked to a number of problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and recent research even suggests a relationship with brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

To give you an idea of the impact of oral health on the body, a study carried out by the Heart Institute (Incor), released in 2019, showed that 45% of heart diseases and 36% of deaths from heart problems have a dental origin.

In the case of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, scientific reviews and more recent research published in publications such as Neurology have found that the bacteria that normally inhabit our mouths can also infect the brain and potentially contribute to neurodegeneration, placing periodontal disease as one more risk factor among many for people predisposed to Alzheimer’s.

Studies continue to show the importance of oral health in maintaining physical and mental well-being. This information is enough to make oral health a priority in your daily life, isn’t it?

The relationship between oral health and diseases

We all know it’s essential to brush our teeth properly, but exactly how can doing this carelessly affect our health?

Well, you should know that a lack of brushing facilitates the appearance of ‘dental plaque’, full of acid-producing bacteria, responsible for causing the famous gingivitis, the mildest form of periodontal disease.

The build-up of plaque becomes a target for the immune system, which tries to fight the infection. At this stage, the problem is reversible and brushing your teeth thoroughly, as well as removing plaque, will allow your gums to recover.

If gingivitis is not treated properly, however, it will evolve into periodontitis, causing the immune system to keep fighting these bacteria at every turn.

The oral microbiome will then suffer an imbalance and this chronic inflammation can spread from the mouth to the body, increasing pro-inflammatory molecules in the blood and compromising your health for real, little by little and in a silent and significant way.

How do you keep your oral health up to date?

• Wash your hands: before starting oral hygiene, wash your hands with soap and water.
• Floss your teeth: start cleaning with dental floss and, if necessary, also use interdental cleaners, found in pharmacies
• Brush your teeth: use a brush with soft bristles, use fluoride toothpaste and remember that a good brushing lasts about 2 minutes.
• Scrape your tongue: the habit of lightly scraping your tongue in the morning with a scraper suitable for this purpose reduces bacteria that lodge there during the night.
• Go to the dentist regularly: at least twice a year to check that everything is under control and to clean away plaque buildup. Remember: the absence of pain is not an indicator that there are no problems in your mouth

Do you know how to clean your toothbrush?

• Daily: After use, rinse the toothbrush with water and spray a little antiseptic on the bristles.
• Once a week: clean the brush with 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate mouthwash. To do this, use a clean glass and pour in the solution undiluted. Shake the toothbrush in the cup with the product for 30 seconds, rinse off the excess with running water and let the toothbrush dry.
• Changing the toothbrush: every three months or sooner if the bristles are worn out.

Act preventively: oral hygiene is one of the simplest and most important ways of looking after yourself!