How Good Dental Health Benefits the Body & Mind

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Dental News
People tend to think of beautiful straight teeth as a purely cosmetic concern - a luxury rather than a necessity. However, teeth that are crooked, stained, or have other problems can cause both physical and physiological problems for people who neglect their dental health.

On the other hand, there are a host of health benefits to seeing your dentist regularly may avoid such as infections in the mouth that could spread to the rest of the body, a problem much more regular and people in low-income families, especially children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 32% of American children between the ages of 6 and 19 who are from low-income families are left to suffer from untreated cavities.

"Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean properly, potentially leading to tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss," notes Miami dentist Dr. Charles Nottingham who specializes in restorative and cosmetic dentistry. "A bad bite can also cause abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, poor speech, and excessive stress on the jaw bone and gum tissue."

Poor bites can also influence chewing and swallowing and food selection - leading to nutritional problems. Pain in the jaw or teeth can lead to pain in the head, neck, shoulders, or elsewhere in the body. Oral pain often leads to diminished activity, lost work days, depression, sleep problems, and missed school for children.

"In addition, problems with your teeth can be an indicator of whole-body health issues," points out Dr. Nottingham. "Scientific research indicates a link between gum disease and many other overall health problems including: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, premature births and many more."

Sometimes teeth can reveal a previously unknown health condition. Conditions that can be detected in the mouth include diabetes (causesgum infections), acid reflux (teeth are much more prone to decay), some auto-immune disorders (the soft tissue in the mouth and salivary glands can be affected), liver diseases (the soft tissue in the mouth is jaundiced) and many more.

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