Can good brushing, interdental cleaning, and flossing prevent you from developing other health problems? NU.nl asks an expert about the link between poor oral health and other health complaints.
With poor oral health, you might quickly think of cavities, tartar, or inflamed gums. But an unhealthy mouth can lead to many more health problems. There is increasing scientific research showing that there is a link between the state of your teeth and the rest of your health.
“A healthy mouth is inextricably linked to a healthy body,” says Loes Velthoven-Verlinden, chair of the professional association NVM-mondhygiënisten. She sees that connections are increasingly being made between oral health and other diseases, such as respiratory infections and certain forms of dementia.
“Bacteria from the mouth can cause inflammatory reactions elsewhere in the body via the bloodstream or the airways,” Velthoven-Verlinden knows. That can manifest in various ways in your mouth and in some cases even be a signal of an underlying disease.
For example, red, swollen, or bleeding gums can indicate diabetes. Poor blood pressure regulation worsens the inflammatory reaction in the body. Gum inflammation such as periodontitis can indicate inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis.
Don’t forget your tongue either
You can also deduce possible health problems from your tongue. Does your tongue look smooth, pale, or swollen? Then you may be suffering from anemia or nutritional deficiencies. With a rough, white, or hairy tongue, the cause is probably an infection with HIV, smoking, or a fungal infection.
“If you want to go for a complete, good cleaning and healthy teeth, cleaning the tongue is definitely part of it,” said dental hygienist Bellarosa Mesdary earlier to NU.nl. According to her, white coating on your tongue does not come from food, but from plaque. She therefore recommends using a tongue scraper in the morning and evening. Although according to her it also works if you slide a toothbrush from back to front over your tongue.
Dry mouth increases the risk of cavities
If you notice that food tastes different or you have a burning sensation in your mouth, it may be related to vitamin B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, neurological disorders, or side effects of medication.
White or red spots in your oral mucosa can be a sign of blood disorders, an immune disorder, canker sores, or ulceration. And diabetes is not only a culprit in gum problems, but also if you often have a dry mouth, it can be a result of this disease.
This dryness can also be caused by certain medications, such as blood pressure medications or antidepressants, or an autoimmune disease such as Sjögren’s syndrome. A dry mouth sounds innocent, but it increases the risk of cavities, fungal infections, and swallowing problems.
Good brushing is not enough for healthy teeth
Denise Duijster, researcher at the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam, spoke earlier with NU.nl about good oral care. She said that taking good care of your teeth is more than just good brushing, and that you can also clean with toothpicks or interdental brushes. “And if that doesn’t fit, you can use dental floss. Although flossing is more difficult and less effective.”
And smoking also has an influence, as does everything you eat and drink in a day. But if you are in a hurry again in the morning or just don’t feel like it before going to bed: daily brushing, interdental cleaning, toothpicking, flossing and tongue scraping is therefore not for nothing. It reduces the chance of all kinds of other conditions and is therefore not only good for healthy teeth, but also for your overall health.