How is your oral health?
Are you taking good care of your mouth, teeth, and gums? You should since problems in your mouth can affect your overall health.
Why is oral hygiene important?
While you may not see them, feel them or taste them, your mouth is teeming with bacteria, but most are harmless. And given that the mouth is the gateway to one’s body, the harmful bacteria can cause problems in the rest of your body.
Usually, your body’s immune system and good oral hygiene keep bacteria under control.
But without proper oral health, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to oral infections, such as dental caries, gingivitis (gum inflammation), periodontitis (gum disease).
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Gum disease can cause significant dental pain and even loss of teeth. Moreover, studies have linked periodontitis to other health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, pregnancy and birth complications, pneumonia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Facts about dental and oral hygiene
60 to 90% of school children have at least one dental cavity
The average adult between the ages of 20 and 64 has three or more decayed or missing teeth
8 to 10% of adults have gum disease
About 30% of people aged 65 to 74 worldwide don’t have any natural teeth left
Common dental and oral problems
Harmful oral bacteria, such as Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis, cause various dental problems including:
Tooth decay
Tooth decay, also known as dental caries, occurs when a film of bacteria called plaque reacts with the sugars in the food you eat.
The reaction leads to the production of enamel-eroding acids that cause cavities in your teeth.
Bad breath
Bad breath/halitosis is estimated to affect 1 in 4 people globally. Causes of bad breath include using tobacco products, a dry mouth, poor oral hygiene, crash diets, and some foods such as onions.
Additionally, according to dental research, about 85 percent of people with chronic bad breath have a dental condition that is to blame.
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers
Cancer is a term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can spread to other parts of the body.
Oral cancer affects the parts of the oral cavity (mouth), which include the lips, the teeth, the gums, the inner lining of the lips and cheeks, the floor of the mouth under the tongue, and the hard palate.
Oropharyngeal cancer affects the oropharynx, the middle part of the pharynx.
The oropharynx includes the tongue base, tonsils, soft palate, and pharyngeal walls. Symptoms for both cancers include:
A sore on the lip or in the mouth that does not heal
A lump on the lip or in the mouth or throat
White or red patches on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth
A persistent sore throat
Pain or difficulty with chewing or swallowing
Hoarseness or change in voice
Pain or bleeding gums in the mouth
Numbness of the mouth or tongue
Gingivitis
Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that causes irritation, redness, and inflammation of the gums. Between 50 and 90% of adults have gingivitis, which, if left untreated, leads to periodontal disease.
Gum disease
Gum/periodontal disease is a gum infection that can affect the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth. It is caused by bacteria in dental plaque and is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.
Mouth sores
There are several types of mouth sores, such as:
Canker sores/aphthous ulcers: they form on tissues in the mouth, usually heal in 10 to 14 days, and are not contagious.
Cold sores: they appear on the outside of your lips, are contagious, and usually go away within one to two weeks.
Tooth erosion
Tooth erosion is the loss of tooth structure caused by acid attacking the enamel. Symptoms include teeth becoming:
Sensitive to hot and cold foods/beverages
Cracked
Discolored
Chipped or broken teeth
Teeth chip, crack or break due to a variety of reasons, including:
Biting or chewing hard foods, such as ice and nuts
Large fillings that destabilize teeth
Blows to the mouth
Tooth decay as it weakens the tooth structure
Teeth grinding (bruxism)
Tooth sensitivity/dentin hypersensitivity
If hot, cold, sweet or very acidic foods and drinks, or breathing in cold air, makes your teeth/tooth sensitive or painful, then you have sensitive teeth.
Tooth sensitivity occurs when the dentin gets exposed due to cavities, cracked teeth, receding gums, and enamel erosion.
Toothache
The symptoms of a toothache include sharp pain or dull pain in or around a tooth, often caused by tooth decay. A cracked tooth or an abscessed tooth can also result in a toothache.
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