Researchers have found that not brushing your teeth two times a day could make you end up with serious heart ailments. With the new revelation, the need to maintain a good oral hygiene cannot be stressed any more. Studies conducted by Scottish researchers firmly establishes obvious links between bad mouths and heart diseases.
How Does Poor Oral Hygiene Cause Heart Disease?
When people do not take proper care of their mouth by not brushing and flossing regularly, the teeth and gums get affected. A bleeding gum opens the blood vessels providing bacteria an easy entry into the blood stream. The mouth, teaming with 700 different types of bacteria, could be termed as the most unclean part in the entire human body. Many of these bacteria are harmless, but there lurks among them some bacteria that could pose a huge threat to your well-being.
These bacteria, when entered into the blood stream, get themselves attached to the platelets found in the blood. It is the platelets that help the blood to clot when the body receives an injury or cut. The bacteria cause the platelets to create clots inside the blood vessel and that can create a partial block. Due to the block, the blood is not able to run back to heart and the result is an increased risk of heart attacks.
The Need for Good Oral Hygiene
Cardiovascular problems are biggest the reason for a large number of fatalities all around the world. According to researchers, many of these deaths could have been prevented just by taking good care of the teeth and gums. Once the bacteria are inside, the patience can be successfully treated with heavy dosages of antibiotics. But, statistics show that in recent years, the number of people getting infected with multidrug resistant bacteria is on the rise. This, in fact leaves us with the only option of keeping our mouth healthy in order to prevent such heart ailments.
How to Maintain a Good Oral Hygiene?
Maintaining good oral hygiene is not a difficult task, but it requires that you need to stick to the routine and create a habit.
• Brushing teeth twice a day, in the morning and before going to sleep, is the simplest way to keep the bacteria away. Do not be in a hurry to brush, but take two minutes to complete the task and make sure that you have covered the whole mouth.
• Flossing can remove plaque and food particles that brushing alone cannot remove. Regular flossing will keep your mouth fresh and gums healthy.
• removing hardened plaques, known as calculus or tartar, could be a difficult task since it is attached firmly to the teeth. A dentist, with the special instruments can help you remove them.
The new study about the link between cardiovascular diseases and poor dental hygiene reiterates the importance of brushing and flossing. It also proves that no matter how healthy, slim or fit we are, if we do not take care of our mouth, we could end up having serious, life threatening ailments. The two minutes spend in the morning and evening for brushing our teeth could be a potential life saver.
