How to keep your teeth healthy: helpful hints

The mouth is home to a multitude of beneficial and harmful bacteria that can travel down into the respiratory and digestive tracts causing infections. To control microflora, the body’s defences and careful dental care are in place.

It must be said that problems in the mouth also affect other systems of the human body. Learning the links between your oral health and your general condition can help protect you from any unpleasant surprises.

Proper Dental and Oral Care

The mouth is home to a multitude of mostly harmless bacteria. But the mouth is the gateway to the digestive and respiratory tracts and the bacteria entering it can be disease-causing.

Oral bacteria

Keeping bacteria under control can be a challenge when good oral care and the body’s natural defenses are in place. Daily brushing and flossing is enough. Poor oral hygiene leads to the growth and development of infection-causing bacteria such as cavities and gum disease.

Some medications reduce saliva flow, which negatively affects your oral health. Saliva helps flush food and neutralises acids produced by bacteria, protecting us from germs. Care should be taken when taking antihistamines, anti-inflammatory, diuretics, analgesics and sedatives.

Serious gum inflammation – periodontitis – can stimulate some diseases. And AIDS and diabetes lower the immune system, increasing the risk of oral problems.

Advice on keeping your teeth healthy

Oral health problems can provoke several diseases and conditions, such as

• Endocarditis. An infectious disease of the valves or inner lining of the heart chambers, usually caused by the spread of bacteria or germs from the mouth through the bloodstream to certain areas of the heart.
• Cardiovascular disease. Inflammations and infections caused by oral bacteria can cause arterial blockages, stroke and heart disease.
• Complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Periodontitis is associated with premature birth and low birth weight.
• Pneumonia. Infiltration of certain types of bacteria into the lung tissue causes pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
• Ways to protect your oral health
• Daily oral hygiene is important for proper protection of your oral health:
• Brush your teeth in the morning and evening with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride-added toothpaste;
• Floss daily;
• use a special mouthwash to remove food debris that cannot be brushed or flossed;
• Adhere to your diet and limit your intake of foods high in sugar;
• change your toothbrush every three months or when the bristles become worn and deformed;
• make regular visits to your dentist for check-ups;
• Avoid smoking.