Why Good Oral Hygiene is Essential

Updated on March 16, 2022

Your teeth and oral health are more important than just your smile. 

Although having a good smile with whitened teeth boosts confidence and self-esteem, your overall oral hygiene is essential if you want to have long-lasting results without any of the problems that come with poor oral hygiene. 

With growing concerns over poor dental care leading to heart disease, gum disease, and diabetes, it is important that we follow the dentist’s advice and have regular check-ups to avoid such oral health issues. 

To better understand how good oral hygiene can impact your life and smile, let’s look at some of the dangers, how to maintain good oral health, and the benefits of having a shiny smile.

The dangers of poor oral hygiene

Poor dental health affects not just your mouth but your body also. 

Your overall oral health contributes to the health state of your respiratory and digestive tracts that are the entry point into your mouth – and when bacteria levels grow inside the mouth, it causes disease and infection. 

Our mouth is full of bacterias. Although, most are harmless unless the bacterias are allowed to grow and travel further into the body, which can be dangerous for your health.

Harmful bacteria growth can cause:

  • Pneumonia
  • Heart disease
  • Oral cancer
  • Pregnancy or birth complications
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Diabetes

Other conditions linked to oral health include immune system disorder, eating disorders, and dry mouth.

If you start to notice any issues with your oral health, visit a dentist as soon as possible for a thorough examination. 

How to maintain good oral hygiene

I am sure you have been told by your parents growing up and by the dentists that you should brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste to keep your teeth and gums in good condition. 

Well, it turns out those comments are true and vital for good oral health.

Professional dental clinics like Smile Chic recommend using dental floss and mouthwash daily on top of brushing your teeth to combat harmful bacterias that grow in the mouth.

It doesn’t take hard work and long hours of effort to keep your mouth in tip-top condition, just following good oral health practices like:

  • Brushing your teeth twice a day using a soft-bristled brush and a good fluoride toothpaste (Oral B is recommended).
  • Wash your mouth with mouthwash after every meal or at least once a day to remove food particles that get stuck in between teeth.
  • Start flossing before brushing your teeth to remove food, plaque, and saliva from your gums.
  • Get into habits of eating healthy and cut down on sugary foods and drinks.
  • Change your toothbrush or electric toothbrush heads twice to three times a year.
  • Visit your dentist at least twice a year for a check-up and hygiene clean.
  • Quit bad habits, like smoking and drinking excessive alcohol and caffeine.

Following these daily oral hygiene habits will go a long way in preventing any disease or infection from developing. 

The benefits of having good oral hygiene

The pros outweigh the cons when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy and white, from smiling more to feeling more confident and boosting your chance of getting a good job. 

While a teeth whitening product can give you instant results for beautifully white shiny teeth, simply following the oral health practices is enough to prevent stains and discolouration from occurring.

A healthy mouth is known to be life-changing for many people. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from having good dental health and a white smile:

  • No expensive trips to the dentist 
  • No bad breath
  • Keeping your mouth in good condition can make you live longer. A study showed that people over 70, that still had the majority of their teeth lived much longer than those with fewer teeth at the same age.
  • A white smile is known to boost your chances of having a relationship and boost your chances of landing a job.
  • Your confidence and self-esteem improve just by feeling great about loving your new white smile.
  • People will connect/communicate with you more often than before.

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.