Since childhood, we have been taught that not having proper dental hygiene might lead to serious problems like tooth decay, bad breath, and yellow teeth. However, it is important to note that not maintaining oral health might lead to different types of serious illnesses which are beyond just dental well-being. 

In this article, let us find out all about the importance of dental health beyond what meets the eye.

What are the signs of bad dental health?

Some of the symptoms of poor dental health include (but not limited to) the following –

• Loose and wobbly teeth
• Teeth being extremely sensitive to hot and cold beverages or sweets
• Continuous or intermittent gum problems like redness, swelling up, pain, etc.
• Bad breath
• Abscessed teeth

If you start to spot any of the above symptoms suddenly, then it might be time that you need to consider visiting AfterPay Dentist. 

Does dental health really affect our overall health?

Through years of research, it has been observed that poor dental health can be one of the causes behind some major diseases that occur in the body. Infections inside the mouth can cause havoc to your overall well-being and might even affect different organs of the body like heart, respiratory tract, etc.

Researches carried out all over the world have been able to identify how dental health is related to such life-threatening illnesses. So the fact remains that both these kinds of well-beings – dental and overall, are inter-related.

Now, let us start by finding out what is essentially meant by poor oral health. There are certain indicative signs from which you might be able to gauge that.

What ailments can be caused by poor dental health?

Your mouth is the entry point of the digestive as well as the respiratory tract, so it is naturally more exposed to bacteria. And without proper dental care, your mouth can easily become a home to various infection-causing bacteria. When the level of harmful bacteria grows beyond checking inside your mouth, it invariably leads to different types of teeth and gum diseases. 

To treat such oral ailments, you would have to resort to taking different types of medicines. Oral medications, like pain-killers, are known to come with side-effects when used for a long time. Moreover, studies suggest that these medications can also lower the level of saliva in your mouth. Saliva is an extremely important component that not only helps in digestion, but it also neutralizes the effect of bacteria inside the mouth. So a lowering of saliva increases the amount of microbes present and that might lead to several types of diseases. 

When you do not take proper care of oral health, it might trigger serious disorders like the following.

Heart Diseases

When the infection causing bacteria increases inside the mouth, it generates some very complicated systemic problems that lead to the formation of small blood clots. Blood clots within our system are very dangerous since these reduce the amount of blood flow to and from the heart, thereby depriving it of sufficient oxygen and nutrients. This leads to cardiovascular ailments triggered by untreated dental infections. 

Strokes

Studies have shown that people who suffer from dental problems tend to be afflicted by strokes more than those who do not suffer from such conditions. Periodontal diseases caused by germs residing in the mouth of chain smokers can eventually lead to strokes. Researches are still underway to identify the exact relation, but with proper medical intervention and care, the risk of stroke can be minimized.

Alzheimer’s

Chronic gum diseases have been linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, as per the latest studies. Researchers have seen that the bacteria causing problems in the gums have a relation with the increase in Alzheimer’s diseases in patients. Studies are still underway to reaffirm this evidence. 

Pregnancy complications

Bad dental health has a great impact on unborn babies. It has been seen that pregnant women with poor oral health might give birth to premature babies or underweight babies. The researchers are studying the cause behind this occurrence but the general notion is, due to an increase in gum infection there might be a secretion of chemicals that stimulates labour. Hence during pregnancy, taking care of your dental health becomes much more important.

Dementia

Researchers assert that gum problems are also related to dementia. They believe that in uncontrolled dental problems, harmful bacteria might reach the brain thereby causing inflammation and blockage, which eventually results in dementia. Poor oral health can increase the likelihood of dementia in adults by nearly 65%, as per studies.

How to maintain sound dental health?

In order to maintain good dental health, you should be particular about the following in the long run –

• Do not forget to brush your teeth twice daily.
• Do not avoid flossing to keep away the extra food particles between the teeth.
• Use a good mouthwash for added protection.
• Schedule a visit to the dentist at a regular interval.
• Limit sugar and sticky food consumption.
• Increase the intake of foods that are rich in vitamins and calcium.

Conclusion

With all the precautions, care, and concern, you would not only be able to avoid dental problems but would also be able to have better overall health. In case you get any indicators of dental problem, do not hesitate to visit your dentist at the earliest!

Hygiene in the office is more important than many people would think. Generally, it is also something that many workplaces take for granted. Often (if not always), there is a dedicated cleaning team that comes in and takes care of cleaning the office. However, office cleaning can only take care of so much. Workplace hygiene is just as much the responsibility of employees and head office, as it is the cleaning services that keep the office looking and feeling clean and tidy.

Sometimes, personal hygiene can be a particularly large and difficult issue, because it can be hard to address this particular issue without causing discomfort or unintended blame. Addressing hygiene issues with affected individuals is never easy, but it is necessary for a healthy, productive workplace. This is especially true if the workplace in question is relatively small. So, if you are facing this issue in your workplace, how can you battle it?

Having private discussions with affected individuals

There is something to be said for discretion in the workplace, and it could not be more important than when discussing issues of personal hygiene. This is obviously a topic that can be quite sensitive for some people – especially when you consider that you do not actually know what the cause of the personal hygiene issue is (i.e. if it is medical, for example). Considering the sensitivity of this topic, it is best to pull individuals aside for a private discussion away from the rest of the office. This way, they do not feel ridiculed and made uncomfortable in front of their colleagues and friends.

Approach the conversation reserving judgement

It is easy to go into this type of discussion with a simple plan of approach in mind, but the reality is that every individual is different, and until you sit down with that person, you have no idea what is causing the issue. So, when you sit down to have what can be a difficult discussion, reserve judgement. This way, you can enter the conversation from the offset with an air of support and understanding, rather than an uncomfortable judgement. This will in turn make the individual feel more comfortable being honest and open about the issue, which makes it easier to discuss potential solutions.

Be polite but honest

Of course, you should always approach topics with this sensitivity in a polite and respectful way, but it is just as important to ensure that you are honest and upfront about the issue, once the discussion has been breached. If you dance around the topic for fear of hurting their feelings, you are only causing a pile up that could be more hurtful later down the line. Sometimes, the person might not even be aware there is an issue, and they will be thankful you have brought it to their attention. Other times, there is a legitimate medical or otherwise unavoidable reason for it, and you can let the office know in a discreet way, so as not to cause any further conflict. And then, of course, they might get offended and go on the defence. No matter which way it goes, it is important to be honest. Remember: honesty is the best policy. 

When it comes to carrying out and maintaining positive hygiene in the home, it goes without saying that practically every household goes about maintaining their hygiene standards differently to one another. While this is more than okay, it is also important to note that there are some general hygiene standards that everyone should strive to meet as often as possible, if not always. Whether one is doing their regular cleaning regime throughout the property, or preparing to move by initiating bond cleaning, the following three hygiene standards are the most important to maintain.

Avoid wearing shoes inside

This one is kind of obvious, but it is also one of the general hygiene standards that is broken most often, simply because sometimes people are in a hurry as they go in and out of the home, and pausing to take their shoes off before anything else is not always on their list of priorities. Thankfully, it does not make too much of a difference if this rule is broken every now and then, so long as one keeps up with the other basic hygiene standards. In general, having a dedicated space for shoes just inside the front entrance or just outside the front and back doors of the property make it easier to get into the habit of placing shoes there, rather than wearing them inside – even if you don’t manage to get them off your feet first thing.

Change sheets and towels every one to two weeks

There are a lot of germs that hang around inside towels and sheets. After all, we are most rough with our skin when we are towelling off after showering or taking a bath, and we (arguably) spend the most time in our beds, so dead skin ends up piling up in the bed. For this reason – and obviously also just for general hygiene purposes – washing both sheets and towels once a week (or once a fortnight, if not every week) is important to maintaining a strong and positive level of hygiene in our most personal spaces in our homes. Having at least two sets of both sheets per bed and towels per bathroom (and a towel for every member of the household to use in each rotation) is the ideal turnover.

Dust, mop, and vacuum every month or so

Minimum. Of course, dusting, mopping, and vacuuming more often is not going to do any harm, but the general consensus is that once a month is the absolute minimum to keep the home clean and tidy. Dust accumulates more than we think (especially in spaces like under the bed or behind furniture that sits up against walls), so it is important to ensure that we are always working towards keeping these spaces clean. When dust builds up, so do the chemicals in the air and the atmosphere, so it is in the best interest of hygiene in the home and general health and wellbeing of those that live in the home, to prioritise dusting, mopping, and vacuuming as some of their most consistent household cleaning duties.