Dental Insurance Articles
How Keeping Clean Teeth Can Lead To A Longer Life
2010-07-11
If you're considering obtaining dental health insurance, you might want to know about the importance of good oral hygiene for your body's overall health. You probably have thought of forgoing dental insurance because you believe brushing your teeth will solve everything. Well, think again. Studies have shown links between poor oral hygiene and major illnesses.
Having healthy teeth may indeed help prolong your life. In the first place, everything you eat and drink passes through your mouth and something always gets left behind in the mouth and teeth. This is where brushing, flossing, and other dental health practices come in: the basics of maintaining a clean mouth and a healthy body.
Clean, healthy teeth can make you healthier because the fewer germs in your body, the less likely you are to get sick. As mentioned above, the mouth is the entryway for food and drink to come through. If your mouth is plagued by bacteria, everything you consume can be infected with the same germs. You are simply circulating germs in your body if you do not keep your teeth clean. Think of your mouth as your house's front porch. If you have a muddy front porch, everyone who steps into your home will have soiled feet and will just dirty every corner of your home.
Therefore, poor oral health will not only affect your teeth and mouth, but other parts of your body as well. More and more studies are showing a link between oral health and general well-being. The disease of the gums or periodontal disease has been associated with strokes and heart disease.
Theory states that the bacteria coming from one's infected gums can become loose and spread throughout the body. This means the same bacteria that brings about gum disease can travel to the arteries. Once the bacteria hits the arteries they can be irritated in the same way as gum tissues. This may lead to the accumulation of plaque in the arteries, causing them to harden and affecting the blood circulation.
Compromised blood flow may trigger a heart attack, while a blockage in the brain can lead to a stroke. This is because arterial plaque can travel to other areas of the body.
Also, the same bacteria from plaque can also enter the lungs where they can cause infection and may aggravate an already existing lung condition. It can therefore worsen respiratory illnesses.
Some studies also show that pregnant women with gum disease are more likely to deliver pre-term, low birth weight babies.
Having a clean and healthy mouth is the beginning of a healthier you. Do consider obtaining dental health insurance and get those dental insurance quotes today.