How Good Dental Care Leads to Better Overall Health

Did you know that good dental care is about having more than just an attractive smile? Your dental health impacts your physical and psychological health in different ways. Here are a few things you should know about keeping yourself healthier through better dental care. 

Confidence Comes from a Great Smile

Good dental care improves your self-confidence, making you a more social and effective person. There are a number of psychological benefits to having a good smile: you'll feel happier, make other people happier, and generally be more successful. If you feel self-conscious about your smile, you'll find yourself engaging positively with people less. You may avoid group pictures, try not to laugh around others, and refrain from interacting with people at large social events. All of this can be emotionally and psychologically stifling. 

Better Teeth Mean Better Memory

It may sound strange, but losing teeth has been linked to losing memory. Why? The jury is still out on exactly what causes this, but it could be a few things. Healthy teeth and gum do contribute to extra blood and oxygen flow around the brain, and creating memories is also a full, sensory experience—the more sensory input, the better. Furthermore, losing teeth can mean that you don't eat the same foods you used to, leading to vitamin deficiencies. 

Improve Your Heart Health With Dental Care

While there's still some debate as to whether you can prevent heart issues with good dental care, there is a known link between poor dental care and poor cardiovascular health. If you have gum disease, in particular, you're more likely to experience heart health related issues. If you have health issues that run in your family, you may be able to reduce your risk of cardiovascular issues by taking care of both your teeth and your gums. 

Manage Your Diabetes By Caring for Your Gums

Diabetes often comes with a greater risk of periodontal disease, so if you want to avoid that disease, make sure you take care of your teeth and gums. Gum disease can be especially harmful in those with diabetes because diabetes can injure your body's ability to self-heal. Since gum disease can make your illness much more difficult to deal with, it's important to stay on top of your dental care.

Prevent a Preterm Birth 

In addition to opening you up to a multitude of other diseases, gum disease can actually cause preterm birth as well as infants who have a low birth weight. If you're currently pregnant, taking care of your dental health can be one of the most important things you can do—even if it's difficult to pay attention to when you're in the middle of so many other things. Gum disease, in general, opens you up to many types of blood borne illness and infection, because it compromises what should be a barrier between the rest of your body and dangerous bacteria. 

Reduce Systemic Disease Risk With Oral Health

Systemic diseases and overall health have a very strong link with oral health. It's known now that when your oral health is compromised, the rest of your body is almost always at risk. If you want to remain generally fit and healthy, good oral health is incredibly important. 

As you can see, your dental health is inextricably linked with your health in a lot of different areas. When your teeth and gums aren't doing well, it exposes your body to risk. Further, bad teeth and gums can be a sign that something else has gone wrong. And while brushing and flossing are important, you also need to get regular check-ins to make sure your gums are thriving. To learn more about your oral health and to improve upon it, make sure you visit your dentist at least twice a year.