To think about someone not taking care of their oral health is disconcerting. There could be a reason why this is so. However, there is a link between your oral hygiene and your health. Good oral health prevents tooth decay, bad breath, and gum disease, even as you get old.

You should also remember that there are connective tissues in your teeth and runs through major internal organs in your body. You are at risk of underlying illnesses if you don’t practice proper oral hygiene.

Your mouth reveals too much. 

There are illnesses with symptoms show through your mouth. There are several cases that systemic diseases produce symptoms through oral hygiene, such as AIDS and diabetes.

Keeping your saliva healthy. 

Your saliva should be healthy, as clean as it could be. It is the first defense against disease-causing organisms like bacteria and viruses. The saliva has antibodies that act as your protection fro viral pathogens such as the common cold or worst, HIV.

When the saliva is healthy, it keeps protecting your mouth and promotes healthy proteins that prevent HIV protection and others.

Plaque can lead to infections. 

There are 500 and more bacteria in the mouth. If you’re not practicing proper oral hygiene, these bacteria will produce plaque that stays in your mouth and causes infection. If not checked by your dentist, plaque will remain in your mouth, causing gum infection or known as gingivitis. If left untreated, it could result in an even more severe case such as periodontitis or worst, the most severe form is trench mouth or acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.

Bacteria from the mouth can indeed get into the bloodstream. 

Bacteria that are always present in the mouth don’t frequently enter the bloodstream, but it can. If, for example, you have gum disease and you try to floss or brush your teeth – this can create an entryway for the bacteria. Medicines such as antibiotics and other treatments can also affect the saliva flow. It can weaken the defense system of the mouth and ultimately allow bacteria inside.

Note: If your immune system is robust, there is nothing to worry about, but the mouth is the first line of defense of any infection – so it sounds better than you have good dental health too.

Proper dental care starts at home. 

You need to practice proper oral hygiene. It is not hard to pick up the toothbrush and brush your teeth once or twice a day. Floss is also a good practice since it gets rid of any tartar build-up in between your teeth and gum lines.

There are also dental care services around your area. Some websites provide you with places that you can go such as dental care Buena Park. If you’re from around that area, you can give it a try.