Your entire body works as a unit. This might sound like an obvious statement; however, we tend to separate our oral health from our overall health. In reality, the two have proved to be closely linked. The health of your heart, mind, respiratory tract and digestive system impacts your oral health–and vice versa. Learn how everything is connected and how you can protect your overall health by prioritizing your oral health.

What’s the Connection?

Your mouth is full of bacteria. While this bacteria is mostly harmless, if harmful bacteria enters your mouth, it quickly spreads to other parts of your body. Your mouth is the front door to your respiratory tract and digestive tract. Bacteria not kept at bay in your mouth can spread to other areas and may cause disease or oral infections. In most cases, oral hygiene routines can keep harmful bacteria at bay. Medications that reduce the production of saliva—antihistamines, antidepressants, decongestants, and painkillers—reduce your number one defense against bacteria growth. Saliva neutralizes acid, washes away food debris, and protects against the growth of bacteria.

How Oral Health Impacts Various Health Conditions

Below is a list of diseases or health conditions that your oral health directly impacts:

• Endocarditis: This is an infection of the inner lining of your heart chambers or valves that occurs when bacteria from your mouth spread through your bloodstream and enter your heart.
• Cardiovascular Disease: Research suggests that heart disease, stroke, and clogged arteries are linked to the bacteria that cause inflammation and infection in your mouth.
• Pregnancy and Birth Complications: Periodontitis is linked to low birth weight and premature births.
• Pneumonia: Pneumonia and other respiratory diseases can be caused by oral bacteria pulled into your lungs.

How Health Conditions Impact Oral Health

Below is a list of health conditions that can negatively impact your oral health:

• Diabetes: Gum disease is often more frequent and severe in men and women with diabetes. People with gum disease tend to have difficulty managing their blood sugar. However, periodontal control enhances diabetes control.
• HIV/AIDS: Oral problems are commonly found in men and women with HIV/AIDS.
• Osteoporosis: Periodontal bone loss and tooth loss are commonly found in people with osteoporosis.
• Alzheimer’s Disease: As Alzheimer’s Disease progresses, oral health seems to decline.

How Can I Protect My Oral Health?

Prioritizing your oral health is critical in protecting yourself from various health problems or preventing worsening dental issues. Here’s how:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a toothpaste that contains fluoride for optimum protection.
• Floss daily.
• Rinse with mouthwash as another layer of protection after your brush and floss.
• Eat a healthy diet and limit your consumption of sugary food and beverages.
• Replace your toothbrush every three to four months.
• Avoid tobacco products.
• Schedule a routine cleaning with your dentist.

At Atkins and Anderson, DDS, we want to come alongside you to protect your teeth and gums as well as your overall health. Routine cleanings and check-ups are the best way to evaluate potential problems and protect your mouth from preventable issues. Click here to schedule an appointment today.

You may brush your teeth twice a day, floss them every night, and schedule a routine cleaning. These are all habits that protect your oral health. So, give yourself a round of applause or a gold star! But if you want to increase your oral hygiene and further shield your teeth from cavities, you may need to evaluate your other habits. You probably don’t give much thought to your choice of an afternoon snack, weekend beverage, or how you tear into the package on your doorstep. These seemingly harmless habits could cause damage to your teeth.

Harmful Drinks

To prevent dragging yourself to a post-lunch meeting on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend, you go on a hunt for a caffeine boost. You grab a soda and anticipate the burst of energy it will give you. You don’t pause to consider the amounts of sugar in a single serving and the effects it will have on your teeth. But sodas, whether diet or sugar-free, produce an acid in your mouth that eats away at your enamel and leads to tooth decay and cavities. Other beverages such as club soda, fruit juice, sweet tea, and coffee can destroy your tooth enamel over time. Alcoholic drinks, including wine, are high in acidity that can erode your teeth. Alcohol also reduces the amount of saliva your mouth naturally produces. Saliva is a key agent in oral health, removing plaque and decreasing the presence of bacteria. There is a risk to consuming any beverage except water. But if you splurge and drink something other than water, be sure to drink a glass and wash away the sugar and acid found in other beverages.

Damaging Treats

You may be catching on to the fact that sugar is on our “naughty list” and applies to the sugar found in packaged snacks, dried fruit, and desserts. You may need to reconsider your snack habits to take your oral health seriously. Simple changes will go a long way to reducing your risk for tooth decay and cavities. Swap dried fruits for fresh fruit. Avoid hard, sticky candies and gummies—including vitamin gummies. These tend to stick to your teeth, allowing the sugar to sit on your teeth for an extended time. Treat dessert as a treat, not the norm. And commit to rinsing your mouth after you eat something sweet. Choose fresh, whole foods like apples, carrots, celery, and nuts when you want something crunchy. Cheese and yogurt also make delicious, easy-to-grab snacks between meals. Because these foods are rich in phosphorus and calcium, they help repair your tooth enamel and further protect your teeth.

Unnecessary Risks

Are you in the habit of using your teeth to open packages, tear off clothing tags, or pop off bottle caps? These simple actions can cause your teeth to chip. Break this habit immediately to protect your teeth from harm. Smoking or chewing tobacco are dangerous habits for your overall oral health. Nicotine causes your teeth to yellow and can lead to oral cancer. Chewing tobacco comes into direct contact with your gums and stays there for long periods, which can cause gum disease. Habits like grinding or clenching your teeth are harmful to your teeth and gums, so make an appointment with your dentist to discuss remedies for this. Risks such as contact sports and medications that cause dry mouth are also risks that need to be addressed. To give your teeth the best chance to stay healthy, schedule an appointment with Atkins & Anderson, DDS. Our team will go over your daily habits and the risks they play in your oral health. Contact us today if you have any questions or concerns about your teeth or gums.

Saliva is one of those things we don’t really think about very much until it’s lacking. If you’ve ever experienced dry mouth, you know what we mean. When you get stressed or nervous before a big presentation, launching a new product, or asking someone out, many people describe the sensation of dry mouth. You may wonder what is wrong with your mouth and why you can’t swallow or form words. But a dry mouth is not just inconvenient—it’s a threat to our teeth and gums. Saliva is crucial to our mouth functioning correctly so that we can speak, eat, and drink normally. But it serves an even bigger purpose in keeping our mouths healthy.

What is Saliva?

Saliva is made mostly of water, but it also contains substances that help you digest your food and make your teeth strong. Your body makes an average of 2-4 pints of saliva every day. While there are hundreds of small salivary glands in your body, there are six major ones in your mouth where the majority of your saliva is produced. They are located in your cheeks, at the bottom of your mouth, and close to your front teeth near your jawbone. Saliva is made when you chew food and when you suck on hard candies, mints, or cough drops.

What is the Problem with Dry Mouth?

If you are not producing enough saliva and continually suffer from a dry mouth, you may experience discomfort that comes with swollen gums and tissue, or a swollen tongue. Not only is eating and drinking difficult, but a dry mouth is a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. This is what leads to bad breath, and why we often have bad breath in the morning—our bodies produce the smallest amount of saliva at night. No one likes having bad breath. (Or talking to someone with it!) However, the biggest issue with dry mouth is that it leads to a host of other dental problems.

Why is Saliva Important to Oral Health?

Saliva helps rid your mouth of germs and minimizes the opportunity for bacteria growth. After you eat, saliva washes food debris off your teeth which protects your teeth from decay and the formation of cavities. Saliva also slows down the potential for gum (periodontal) disease to develop. This is because saliva contains proteins and minerals that protect your tooth enamel. After you eat or drink, saliva dilutes sugars and neutralizes acid production which controls the formation of plaque. Amazingly, saliva is produced when we eat or drink to protect our teeth and gums from the very things we are eating and drinking!

Saliva is helpful and necessary for a healthy mouth. So, if you’re experiencing dry mouth on a regular basis, it’s time to schedule a dental appointment. We’ll help you determine the cause of your dry mouth and make suggestions to remedy the problem. Our team at Atkins and Anderson Dentistry is here to help you successfully take care of your teeth and gums and work to prevent cavities and gum disease from forming. Scheduling a cleaning regularly is the key to maintaining good oral health and hygiene. So, make your appointment for the whole family today.

There are many ways you can take an active role to ensure the oral health of your children. But our bodies are incredible, and one of the best ways to keep your mouth healthy is completely out of your control! This powerful tool is saliva. In most cases, you have no control over your saliva production and yet it takes care of your oral health in multiple ways. Learn more about the benefits of saliva and how you can make sure your child is producing enough.

What is Saliva?

Saliva is a clear liquid made up of water and natural chemicals in your body. Saliva is produced by the salivary glands in your mouth. They are located on the inside of your cheeks, under your tongue, and under your jaw at the front of your mouth. Your body works 24 hours a day to produce saliva and ends up producing two to four pints of saliva daily!

What Does Saliva Do for Me?

Saliva has an incredible purpose when it comes to keeping our mouth healthy. It helps you clean your teeth between meals by rinsing away food particles. It also contains enzymes that begin breaking down food before it reaches your stomach, thus helping with digestion. Saliva coats your tongue and allows you to actually taste your food. In fact, it would be difficult to eat without saliva. Saliva makes dry food wet in your mouth which helps you chew and swallow. Your saliva contains enzymes that not only break down your food but help reduce bacteria in your mouth. And last but not least, your saliva is filled with proteins that protect tooth enamel and reduce bad breath. It’s safe to say that saliva plays a crucial role in your overall oral health!

Is My Child Producing Enough Saliva?

The body naturally produces enough saliva, so on a regular basis, you should have nothing to worry about. However, there are some medications or medical conditions with side effects of dry mouth. Talk to your pediatrician if your child expresses concerns about having a dry mouth. Board certified pediatric dentist, Dr. Nanna Ariaban says, “Hydration can also affect saliva production, as (saliva) is mostly made of water. Make sure your child is drinking enough water, especially during the summer and during exercise!”

Anderson and Atkins, DDS is a Family Dentistry serving children and adults in the Bryan-College Station area. Our team is skilled at pediatric dentistry and able to help you teach your children good dental habits. One of our patients, Cheryl, says, “My family never dreads our visits to the dentist because everyone at this office is so amazing! They are so kind and helpful! I especially love how they make our children (ages 7 & 4) feel so comfortable, so they have never had to fear the dentist!” If you have questions about your child’s oral health or need to schedule a routine cleaning, call our office today at (979)846-1813, or email us for more information.