Unexpected Impacts on Oral Health

Every day you make important decisions regarding your health, regardless of whether you are aware or not. The foods you eat, your stress levels, the exercise you do (or do not do!) even the amount and quality of sleep you get are all factors that impact your overall health and general well-being. These things also impact your oral health. Therefore, your oral health also impacts your general health and well-being.

Surprising Connections

The connection between what you eat, and drink and your oral health has been established for decades, if not centuries. Sugary foods cause problems. Period. By now, everyone knows that. However, some of the other connections between oral health and lifestyle are not so apparent. For example, you may be surprised to know that stress can impact your oral health.

Some individuals, when under stress, clench and grind their teeth. People can do it while awake, sleeping or both. For some people, the stress is situational and when the stressor goes away the grinding and clenching stop. Others suffer under chronic stress, and the grinding and clench continue. This practice can lead to erosion of tooth enamel, cracked or damaged teeth and of course, since the jaw muscles are being overworked, it can lead to TMJ/TMD problems – jaw pain, headaches, neck and shoulder pain. Finding ways to manage stress will also help protect you against certain oral issues.

Another surprising connection is exercise and oral health. Of course, you know the benefits of physical exercise on your body. However, you may be unaware that it also affects your teeth and gums. When you think about it, your mouth is a part of your body, so it does make sense. A study conducted by the Journal of Dentistry discovered that an increase improves oral health in physical activity. In addition, exercise lowers the risk for periodontal disease.

The study revealed that people who work out regularly and never smoke were 54% less likely to develop gum disease than those who quit smoking; the risk was reduced by 74% when they increased their physical activity.

Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Mouth

Adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle has various benefits. You look better, feel better and function better. A healthy lifestyle lifts your mood and helps nurture a more positive outlook on life in general. Keeping up with your oral health is an important part of overall health.

Gwinnett Family Dental Care can help you maintain healthy gums and teeth. Call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our dentists.