In pursuing overall health and maintaining a comprehensive health routine, many people only implement exercise and nutrition plans and neglect the most important health aspects, which are oral health and dental care.

Are you one of these people? Did you know that the health of your mouth and teeth give signs of your overall health, or that health problems in your mouth may affect the rest of your body?

Help protect yourself by learning more information about the importance of incorporating dental health into your overall health routine.

Dental Health

Also called dental fitness, it is not just making an appointment with the doctor if you suffer from a problem or toothache, but rather it is the actions that you take daily to take excellent care of your teeth to keep your teeth healthy and give them preventive care as much as possible.

Good dental health helps you enjoy life. It allows you to:

• You speak clearly
• Chew, taste and swallow delicious, nutritious foods
• You show your emotions through your facial expressions, such as smiling.

Medical Conditions Associated with Poor Dental and Oral Health

Pneumonia

When you neglect your oral health, bacteria will move from it to your lungs, which will cause pneumonia and contribute to other respiratory diseases.

Alzheimer's disease

Neglecting oral health and its deterioration will lead to advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Pregnancy and Childbirth Complications

Poor oral health and neglect of dental hygiene will lead to periodontitis, which in turn is associated with premature birth and leads to low birth weight

Endocarditis

Endocarditis often occurs when bacteria or other germs travel from other parts of your body, such as your mouth, and travel through your blood to certain sites in your heart.

Diabetes

Diabetes reduces your body's immunity and ability to fight bacteria, which puts your gums at risk, and gum infections are more common and severe in people with diabetes.

Two scientific studies have confirmed that those suffering from gum disease have a difficult time trying to control their blood sugar levels. When you keep your teeth healthy, you can improve your diabetes control.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis and its weakness are related to the loss of gum bone and the loss of teeth if their health is not maintained. The medications used to treat osteoporosis may cause the patient to suffer minor damage to the jaw bones, so dental health must be maintained to ensure their health in the event of other health problems. 

The Importance of Dental health into Your Overall Health Routine

Think of your body as an evolving city. Just as a city's transportation systems, water supplies, electricity, and communications networks are interconnected, so are the various elements of your health.

When one system is out of sync, it can affect everything else in town, and neglecting your dental health can be a slippery slope that leads to many health problems that may seem completely unrelated at first glance.

So, when we talk about holistic health, we're looking at the whole board, where everything in your body from your physical fitness and mental health, as well as your oral health, plays a crucial role. Just as you take your exercise program seriously, your dental fitness needs a plan to succeed. This is the article that will help you create a dental care plan and integrate dental health into your overall health routine easily, reducing the chances of long-term dental damage.

Your mouth is a reflection of your overall health

Did you know that your mouth may be a window into your overall health? Did you know that it's like a health report card hiding under your nose?

Oral health is often a mirror image of systemic diseases and conditions. For example, conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and some heart diseases can initially present as oral problems.

Research and studies have confirmed that inflammation and bacteria in the mouth can be linked to other health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and rheumatoid arthritis.

So think of your oral health as an important piece of the overall health puzzle and that to achieve it, you must integrate dental health into your overall health routine.

The mouth is the first place where digestion occurs

Chewing is the first step in the digestion process. This step occurs in the mouth, where food is cut into smaller pieces that are mixed with saliva for the starches inside them to break down. This initial stage of the digestion process is disrupted if oral health deteriorates, as in the case of mouth pain or tooth loss, this will lead to the chewing process not being completed sufficiently, and the digestive system must make a greater effort to process the food and complete the digestion process, and this can lead to poor nutrients absorption.

When you take good care of your oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth and checking them regularly, you keep your smile bright, support your gut health, and thus support your overall health by incorporating dental health into your overall health routine.

Cardiovascular health and gum disease

Not taking care of your teeth and oral hygiene will lead to inflammation of the gums, and this enables harmful bacteria to enter the bloodstream and from there to other parts of the body, such as the heart, and lead to deposits in the arteries and thus the development of atherosclerosis (a condition in which the arteries narrow and thus harden). This increases the chances of strokes and heart diseases, and thus we see that incorporating dental health into your overall health routine is important not only to avoid cavities but also to protect your heart.

How to Incorporate Dental Health into Your Overall Health Routine

You must be wondering where to start. How do I incorporate dental health into my overall health routine?

If you want to take care of your teeth in the best way possible, we suggest you go to your dentist and undergo a comprehensive initial examination to evaluate your dental health and ensure that any underlying issues are addressed.

Here are some steps that will help you achieve healthy teeth:

Exercise and incorporate dental health into your overall health routine

Everything that benefits general health also benefits teeth and gums. Do not forget that your mouth is connected to your body, and just as physical exercise affects your muscles, heart, and lungs, it also affects your teeth and gums.

Research conducted by the Dental Journal has confirmed that exercising and increasing physical activity helps improve and support oral health and reduce the risk of gum disease.

Practice yoga at least 5 minutes a day

Yoga reduces stress and relieves anxiety, which in turn reduces the number of times you grind and clench your teeth, which improves dental health. Here is how to perform the steps:

• Find a quiet place where you can sit or stand comfortably.
• Follow a short 5-minute yoga routine that focuses on relaxation and stretching movements.
• Focus on deep, calm breathing throughout your yoga practice to reduce anxiety and stress levels.

Eat light, healthy meals

Replace sugary meals with healthy meals such as fresh fruits and vegetables, as chewing them will stimulate the production of saliva and thus contribute to cleansing the mouth and removing acids that cause tooth decay.

Brush your teeth at least twice a day

Dental experts recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day. It is preferable to brush your teeth after meals. Choose an original toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles so that it reaches all teeth, including the back teeth. This ensures that the tooth enamel (which is the outer layer of the teeth) is not irritated and harm the gums.

Use toothpaste containing fluoride

Look for a toothpaste that contains fluoride in its ingredients, which is referred to as “anti-caries,” as it is a natural mineral that strengthens the enamel layer and makes it more resistant to decay.

Now an important question may come to your mind, which is why does the doctor request a fluoride session when toothpaste contains fluoride?

The dentist may advise some people to undergo a dental fluoride application session in the clinic, during which he applies a high concentration of fluoride to the teeth, to strengthen the enamel layer and reduce the risk of tooth decay. The dentist often performs it for children to preserve their teeth and protect them from tooth decay because their chances of developing tooth decay are greater, due to the nature of baby teeth, and eating sweets in abundance.

Brush your teeth well using a brush

As we mentioned previously, use your soft brush with a small head, and brush your teeth daily. Each time, cleaning should take at least two minutes, and do not forget to brush your tongue as well.

Here are some tips for using a toothbrush:

• Direct the brush bristles towards the gum line, so that they clean between the gums and teeth.
• Gently brush your teeth using small circular motions.
• Do not rub vigorously back and forth.
• Clean all sides of each tooth.
• Replace your toothbrush when its bristles wear out

Use dental floss daily

Your use of dental floss is essential, as it reaches places that the brush cannot reach, and removes food remnants and plaque (a thin white or yellow layer formed by food remnants and germs that remain on the teeth after eating) from them, to achieve the best result. Use a gentle and slow-spreading motion. Here we will learn some tips for using dental floss:

• Use a string about two feet long
• Wrap it around the middle finger on each hand
• Hold the side of the string with the index finger and thumb of both hands
• Gently pass the floss between your teeth until it reaches the gum line
• Bend the floss like a letter C along the side of each tooth and up and down under the gum.

It may be difficult for some people to carry and use dental floss due to a health problem such as arthritis. If you are one of them, try using the following:

• Plastic or wooden toothpick
• A string holder is a small tool that holds the string, which saves you from wrapping the string around your fingers
• Water device, a small portable device that sprays water
• Small brushes specially designed to clean the space between teeth

Reduce your intake of sweet foods and sweets

When you eat sweet foods and desserts, some of the sugar is stored in your teeth, and this serves as an ideal food for the bacteria present in the oral cavity in a natural way. These bacteria work to convert sugars into acids that attack the tooth enamel and cause damage, which causes tooth decay.

The more sugar your oral bacteria get and the poorer your oral hygiene, the greater the harmful effects on your teeth and gums.

Reduce drinking soft drinks and juices

These drinks contain sugars and food acids that cause the materials that protect the tooth to soften and dissolve the minerals in the tooth enamel, which causes holes and cavities that are the beginning of decay.

Do not use your teeth for anything other than chewing food

You may be surprised, but using your teeth for things other than chewing, such as cracking nuts, opening the cap of a bottle or plastic container, or biting your nails, will contribute to the weakening of your tooth structure, cracking, and breaking.

Protect your teeth when you exercise

Wear a mouthguard when playing sports, especially boxing, to protect your teeth from damage and breakage.

Eat soft and solid foods

Some people have a belief that eating solid foods harms the teeth, so their diet is limited to soft foods. This belief is wrong and harms the teeth.

Your diet should not be devoid of solid foods, as they help to strengthen our teeth and make them flat, which in turn leads to the force of chewing food being distributed evenly. Here we mention some foods that are recommended to be eaten from time to time:

• Eat nuts, and they must be eaten carefully so as not to break the tooth enamel
• Eat raw fruits and vegetables, as they stimulate resistance to grinding and strengthen teeth
• Be sure to eat tough red meat, as the Dental Association has confirmed that this meat contains phosphorus, which contributes to strengthening and protecting tooth enamel and bones, and provides a good round of chewing that gives the teeth some useful exercise.

Drink water and keep yourself hydrated

Water helps remove food particles and bacteria that can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

Therefore, we advise you when you exercise to carry a water bottle with you, to keep your body and mouth hydrated.

Save your broken teeth

If one of your teeth is broken and out of place, try to return it to its normal position, and go immediately to the dentist.

If you cannot go to the doctor, put the tooth in milk or wrap the tooth in plastic wrap and call the dentist and ask for his advice. By doing these steps, the chances of saving the tooth will increase greatly.

Do not clench your jaw or grind your teeth

Squeezing your jaw or grinding your teeth damages them and leads to microfractures.

Do not grind ice cubes with your teeth

Why the rush? You can wait until the ice melts in the glass of juice and drink it cold, and it will not harm your smile.

Stay away from smoking

Do not smoke. Smoking increases the possibility of plaque formation and tooth decay and causes gum disease

Visit your doctor regularly for regular check-ups

Experts advise visiting the dentist regularly, every 6 months, to undergo examinations, evaluate your teeth, and determine the number of times you should visit him.

Make an appointment and go to the dentist as soon as possible if you have a problem with your teeth, bleeding gums, feel pain, notice any change in your teeth, or if you are planning to get pregnant. Due to hormonal changes, you can get gingivitis and your gums will swell and bleed easily.

You have a dental problem, a toothache, notice a change in your teeth or perhaps your gums are bleeding, make an appointment as soon as possible. A healthy mouth is essential for overall health and well-being.

The impact of dental health examinations on the overall health routine

The periodic dental examination is the unknown soldier of public health. It is an examination as important as a physical examination or an annual eye examination, and it cannot be skipped because this will create a gap in your overall health. The doctor monitors any changes in your mouth and provides you with advice and solutions regarding the problems that you suffer from. Examination in:

• Exploration of oral cavities
• Early detection of tooth decay
• Cleaning teeth
• Check on public health
• Detect signs of nutritional deficiency
• Detection of general inflammation and infection
• Detect serious conditions such as oral cancer

Committing to going to the dentist regularly helps you ensure oral and dental health, prevent cavities, and detect diseases earlier, which benefits your overall health.

Avoid exercising after surgery

As we talked about previously, there are many benefits to combining exercise and dental health, but at the same time there are times when you should avoid exercising because it can cause dehydration, bleeding, or high blood pressure, and we will mention them here:

• Oral surgery, because exercising in this case will increase blood pressure and cause bleeding.
• Wisdom tooth extraction: You must refrain from strenuous work and sports for at least four days because they cause pain and swelling
• Feeling feverish after oral surgery
• Disintegration of sutures after oral surgery
• Feeling dizzy and dizzy

You can return to exercising after the fourth day of surgery, but be careful and start slowly and with low-impact activities that do not require much effort, such as yoga and stretching exercises. If you want to do weight-lifting exercises, you can do so provided that you carry small weights and do not put pressure on yourself. If any change or bleeding occurs, stop exercising immediately and contact your doctor.

Follow a healthy diet after oral surgery

Doctors advise people who have undergone oral surgery to eat liquid and soft foods during their recovery period and to be sure to get a lot of calories, as it provides them with a lot of energy and speeds up their recovery.

Your overall health is like a symphony, all of its instruments (your gut, muscles, heart, teeth, and gums) must be in harmony so that the music becomes sound and beautiful.

After our article, we tell you that health-supportive behavior is the integration of dental health into physical fitness. In addition to your usual routine of exercise, undergo periodic examinations with your dental care provider or dentist, as your dental health should be the best and you can achieve great health by taking care of your body, teeth, and gums by incorporating dental health into a comprehensive health routine, i.e. increasing physical activity and not neglecting dental care.

Consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program and contact your doctor to undergo a comprehensive examination of your teeth and gums.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dental Health

●What is dental fitness?

Dental health is not just about making an appointment with the doctor if you suffer from a problem or toothache, but rather it is the actions that you take daily to take excellent care of your teeth to keep your teeth healthy and give them as much preventative care as possible.

●How do I incorporate dental health into my overall health routine?

Brush your teeth at least twice a day, use fluoride toothpaste, and brush your teeth well with a brush.

Use dental floss daily, reduce the intake of sweet foods and sweets, limit drinking soft drinks and juices, and do not use your teeth for anything other than chewing food.

●How do I use dental floss?

Use a floss about two feet long, wrap it around the middle finger of each hand, and hold the side of the floss with the index finger and thumb of both hands. Then gently pass the floss between your teeth to reach the gum line. Bend the floss like the letter C on the side of each tooth and up and down the bottom. gums.

●Is it harmful to brush your teeth with charcoal?

Yes, if used frequently, it will cause damage to tooth enamel and may cause sensitivity or yellowing in some patients

●What causes blood to bleed when brushing teeth?

It can be caused by many factors, including harsh and forceful brushing of the teeth, using a rough toothbrush that harms the teeth and gums, and inflammation of the gums due to plaque.

Written by: Haidy Soliman

Translated by: Ph. Marah Mohamad

Sources:

Boulton dental

Mayo clinic

Rotem dental care

Blue haven dental

National Institute of dental and craniofacial research