People don’t know how important dental health and hygiene are interconnected with your digestive health and overall well-being. Good oral hygiene is not just about a bright smile – it plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy digestive system. So, let’s look at why oral hygiene matters for your digestive health!
The Mouth as the Gateway to the Digestive System
The digestive process doesn’t start in the stomach but in the mouth. Chewing, saliva production, and enzyme activity are important for proper digestion. If you have any oral issues, like a toothache or inflammation, you won’t chew your food right, and that will make it harder for your stomach to digest it. This can cause digestive issues, so you must be able to chew your food properly.
Oral Bacteria and Gut Health
Both the mouth and the stomach have their own microbiomes. Their interactions can impact the delicate balance they maintain, so if you have an infection or a surplus of harmful bacteria in the mouth, it can and will affect your gut bacteria balance, too. This imbalance can cause digestive issues, so it is important that you maintain oral hygiene to keep your digestive system healthy.
Inflammation and Systemic Impact
According to expert dentists in Houston, TX, when you have inflammation in your mouth, your whole body can be affected. Bacteria in your mouth can travel to your lungs, causing pulmonary diseases, or go into your bloodstream and cause cardiovascular issues. This can and will affect your entire body and cause problems that, if not dealt with fast, can cause lasting damage. Having annual checkups with your dentist can help you stay ahead of any issues that may occur.
The Role of Saliva in Digestion
Saliva helps digestion by moistening the food so that it can move more easily through your esophagus and into your stomach; it also helps you to chew and taste food. Saliva also contains enzymes that help digest the starches in the food you eat. The enzyme amylase breaks down the complex carbohydrates (starches) into sugars that are much easier to absorb by your body. In addition to amylase, saliva has an enzyme called lingual lipase that breaks down fats.
Common Oral Health Issues That Affect Digestion
There are a few oral health issues that negatively impact digestion, so let’s look at the most common ones:
- Tooth decay and gum disease – You may experience pain and discomfort when chewing food, leading to insufficiently chewed food. This can cause digestive issues because the stomach cannot properly break down the food.
- Dry mouth (Xerostomia) – A common condition that certain medications or medical treatments can cause. A dry mouth happens when there is reduced saliva production. This decreased saliva production leads to difficulty swallowing and an increased risk of tooth decay (saliva is crucial in protecting our teeth); plus, as we discussed above, saliva is crucial in breaking down certain components in food.
- Oral infections – Infections like abscesses can cause intense pain, making it difficult to chew effectively. Additionally, bacteria from these oral infections may spread to other digestive system areas, potentially leading to further complications. It is not just the digestive system that these infections can harm; it’s the whole body.
Practical Tips for Maintaining Oral Health
There are a lot of things that you can do to maintain your oral and digestive health. Some of the things are obvious, and we do them every day, but for some, we sometimes need a little encouragement or reminder. So, let’s look at how to maintain oral health.
Brush Your Teeth
This may seem like an obvious one, but a lot of people, for whatever reason, sometimes struggle to brush their teeth daily. Brushing your teeth twice a day is recommended, but brushing them once is fine on hard days.
You should use fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristle toothbrush; medium and hard bristles can cause damage to your gums and tooth enamel. When you brush your teeth, make sure not to put too much pressure on them, and use circular motions instead of just going back and forth. Brush all surfaces, including the back and sides, not just the front of your teeth.
Floss
We are always told to do flossing daily, but it’s not part of many people’s routines, and if they do it, they may be doing it wrong. Brushing alone doesn’t clean between teeth; use about 18 inches of floss, wrapping the ends around your middle fingers. Gently guide it between teeth, curve it in a C shape around each tooth, and use up-and-down strokes to remove plaque. Repeat for all your teeth.
Water flossers are great for removing pieces of food that are stuck between your teeth, but they are unable to entirely remove the biofilm on your teeth, so it is important to still use regular dental floss as well.
Brush Your Tongue
When you brush your teeth, don’t forget to brush your tongue as well. It has all the bacteria your teeth have, and it is often neglected when it comes to oral health. Using your toothbrush for this purpose is fine, but you can also get a tongue scraper.
Use Mouthwash
Using an antibacterial mouthwash daily helps with keeping harmful bacteria from multiplying. Aside from helping wash away food, it also helps to prevent plaque buildup. When you choose a mouthwash, make sure you find an alcohol-free formula to avoid dry mouth.
Regular Dentist Visits
Having routine 6-8 month visits to your dentist will help with the prevention of anything that might cause bad oral health. If you are prone to cavities, gum disease, or other oral health issues, you may want to do these routine checkups more often.
Conclusion
Your mouth plays a vital role in digestion, and neglecting oral hygiene can seriously affect your digestive health and overall well-being. From chewing and saliva production to the balance of bacteria, oral health is deeply connected to how well your digestive system functions. By maintaining good oral hygiene habits and visiting your dentist regularly, you support a healthy smile and a healthier body from the inside out.
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