Dental Hygiene Services

Why are regular visits to a Dental Hygienist important?

Scheduling regular visits to a dental hygienist does more than just help maintain an attractive smile, it can also reveal a lot about your overall health; including whether or not you may be at risk of chronic disease. The latest research indicates that the health of your mouth reflects the overall health of your whole body. This indicates that when your mouth is healthy there is a high probability that you have good overall health. The reverse also seems to be true, this means if your oral health is poor, then you may well have other health problems. These findings make it very clear that having good oral health may actually present certain types of disease from occurring.

Gum disease and health complications

The relationship between gum disease and health complications is clearly evident from the latest research. This means that things like strokes and heart disease have a clear relationship to gum health. It has also been shown that women with gum disease have much higher instances of low birth weight babies. In additional research it has been found that more than 90% of diseases with multiple organs or the whole body are indicted with oral factors, including swollen gums, dry mouth, ulcers and excessive gum problems. Some of the more well known of these types of disease are as follows:

- Diabetes
- Leukemia
- Oral cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease

Many people now have regular oral hygiene visits and oral examinations, this means that dentists and dental hygienists can often be the first clinical professionals to identify the stat of a potential health related problem.

Poor oral health can create other health issues

Taking care of your teeth and gums by having regular dental hygiene visits is a vital step to preventing serious health problems developing , including:

Oral & facial pain. Oral pain can largely be connected to gum infections. The gums support teeth and if infected can create to tooth loss. Gingivitis effects more than 75% of the population, in both in early and advanced stages.
Heart problems and other major organs. Oral infections can also effect major body organs. As an example, your heart and heart valves can potentially be inflamed by bacterial endocarditis, this is a condition that effects people with heart disease or heart damaged.
Digestion problems. Digestion begins with specific physical and chemical processes that start in the mouth. Problems with digestion can lead eventually to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal failure and a range of other digestion related disorders.

What you can do?

Regular visits to a dentist help maximise and maintain your oral, regular visits also allows your dentist to check for health developments that may point to other related problems. It is just as important to also regularly see a dental hygienist, as maintaining your teeth and gums is one of the best ways to ensure your long tern dental health. Dental examinations can often identify problems with poor nutrition and hygiene, improper jaw alignment and problems with growth / development. You can ensure high standards of oral hygiene by doing the following:

Brush twice a day for at least two minutes, using a good quality toothpaste.
Use dental floss daily this removes dental plaque from areas that your toothbrush can’t reach.
Have a healthy diet that provides the nutrients required (vitamin A and C, specifically) to stop gum disease developing.
Give up cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, both of these things are proven to create / worsen oral cancer and gum disease.
Visit the dentist regularly for cleanings and exams. This is one of the most effective ways to detect the early signs of gum disease.