It’s no secret that the way we live our lives affects our overall health, but what a lot of people don’t know is that their lifestyle can affect their dental health just as it does their physical health.
Poor dental health can be detrimental in many ways. Bad teeth and breath can result in loss of confidence. It can also affect the way you speak and eat. The problems people face in their dental health can to a large extent and affect their way of life.
You brush regularly, you floss often and you keep your appointments with the dentist religiously, yet you skimp on sleep and smoke packs of cigarette each day. Despite these commendable dental activities, those are just a few everyday habits that can adversely affect your dental health.
A study of 219 factory workers was carried out in Osaka, Japan. Participants were told to complete a questionnaire and was examined for periodontal disease. The questionnaire contained information about their oral health habits such as brushing and flossing, sleeping habits, eating habits, workout routine, mental and physical health as well as alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.
The research shows that getting less than six hours sleep every night and smoking cigarettes were the two most significant habits of the factory workers suffering from periodontitis. The data suggested that more than 38% of the time, the progression of periodontal disease could be attributed to smoking.
What this is trying to point out, in essence, is that every single aspect of your day to day life can have a significant impact on your dental health. Research has also shown a strong connection between poor dental health and some physical diseases, such as diabetes and heart condition.
Tooth decay, cavities, bad gums and even mouth odor can be prevented with just some simple lifestyle change.
Here are a few lifestyle choices that can negatively affect your dental health:
Eating too much Sugar
Everyone has that craving for something sweet once in a while, but it is not wise to make it into a daily habit. Eating food high in sugar can put you at the risk of cavities. Bacteria feed on sugar and eating food high in sugar will increase the bacteria in your mouth, in turn increase the amount of acid in your mouth.
When there’s nothing in your mouth for the acid to break down, they start on your teeth’s enamel, putting you at high risk of cavities. No matter how well you brush your teeth, having a high sugar diet is bad for as it means you’re giving the bacteria more food to feed on, which can lead to tooth decay and gum bleeding.
Smoking
It’s no secret that smoking is dangerous to the health. Smoking can damage your lungs, kidney and other vital parts of the body. Smoking can also cause gum disease, tooth decay, and put you at the risk of oral cancer.
The Cancer Research UK records that smoking is the major cause of oral cancer and is linked to about 65% of oral cancer cases in the UK. Researchers also point out that there are strong links between cigar smoking and tongue and throat cancers.
Alcohol
Saliva is needed to flush and control the bacteria inside the mouth. However, alcohol dehydrates the mouth, which means it can deprive you of the right amount of saliva in the mouth to perform the bacteria control task.
In essence, bacteria are left to foster inside the mouth. Don’t forget that these bacteria break down teeth enamel and puts you at high risk of cavities. As if that’s not enough, too much alcohol can prevent a person from maintaining proper health hygiene.
Too much, too little or no Exercise
We all know that very little exercise can cause weight gain. People who eat without an outlet for the energy to be used up will end up having this energy stored as fat in different areas of their body.
Apart from the obvious health and societal disadvantage, uncontrolled weight gain can also adversely affect your dental health. The same thing applies to people who force themselves to lose too much weight. Weight gain and weight loss can result in ill-fitting dentures as contrary weight can affect how the gum pads in the dentures fit.
Medication
There are drugs and medications that contain different ingredients. These ingredients, while having a positive impact on physical health, may have a negative impact on dental health. Some drugs contain ingredients that stain the teeth. Others cause dry mouth, which is not good for your oral hygiene.
On use of medications, Dr. Cecilia Luong of TigerSmile Family Dentistry advises that:
Before starting out on a new medication, It’s best to consult with an Baton Rouge dentist who’ll offer solutions to any adverse effect the new medication may have on your dental health.
Using Teeth as Tools
Every once in a while, people are in a hurry to open that can of soda, or tear open a package, or cut off laundry tags that they can’t be bothered to look for the can opener or scissors, and so they use their teeth.
Using your teeth as tools is the surest way to clipping them. This puts you at the risk of tooth decay, and you’re also at the risk of bacteria as your chipped tooth is left open and unprotected.
Conclusion
The chances of developing life-threatening diseases are increased by the kind of life we live. People suffering from poor dental health can suffer from a variety of health issues, experiencing acute pain and lack of appetite which can result into poor nutrition.
Apart from brushing your teeth regularly with toothpaste that contains fluoride, flossing and visiting a dentist at least two times in a year, it’s important that you evaluate your lifestyle and drop habits that can lead to poor dental health. And if you discover any issues with your teeth or gums, visit a dentist right away to get it looked at.