Why Good Oral Hygiene Leads to Good Health

Good health, something many people may take for granted, is certainly the absence of disease or physical impairment. But it goes beyond disease. Good health exists when a person can function well physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally to enjoy the good things of life. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates who is considered the “Father of Medicine” said, “Health is the greatest of human blessings.”

What Are the Factors of Good Health?

There are many factors that impact one’s health:

• Genetic factors can contribute to a risk for certain health conditions.
• Physical and environmental factors including the presence of germs and pollution can impact health, possibly triggering an illness.
• Social and economic circumstances can lead to better or poorer health.
• A person’s behaviors–healthy and non-healthy lifestyle and practices. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150999

Why is Oral Hygiene Important for Good Health?

The human body is comprised of magnificent systems that are all interconnected, so one part of the body can have an impact on different areas of the body. Thus, if a person has problems with the mouth, teeth, and gums, that can create problems in other areas.

Good oral hygiene helps prevent problems that cause tooth decay, dental erosion, and gum disease including gingivitis, periodontitis, and bad breath. Gum disease can release germs into the rest of the body, making infections more likely there.

There is evidence that poor oral hygiene (including never or only irregular brushing of teeth) is associated with heart diseases including heart attack, angina, and other blood vessel-related (cardiovascular disease) problems. Additionally, there are relationships between poor oral hygiene and other conditions: diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer (especially pancreatic and oropharyngeal cancer), and rheumatoid arthritis.

Clearly, oral hygiene can have a profound impact on one’s entire body.

Why is Good Health and Healthy Living So Important?

Each of us only has one life to live so it is important to live to enjoy it, both in living longer and living better. As writer Josh Billings stated, “Health is like money. We never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.”

A healthy body, mind, and spirit results in these benefits for individuals:

• Not having to feel the pain and discomfort of diseases.
• Able to enjoy more physical activities.
• Able to enjoy hobbies.
• Getting closer to and spending time with friends and loved ones.
• Being more energized and facilitates increased productivity.
• Provides a better chance to live longer.
• Enables being able to think more clearly and reduces stress.
• Provides for more emotional well-being.
• Makes it possible to have better spiritual health.
• Doesn’t impair career opportunities.
• Opens the way for more opportunities to help others.
• Boosts one’s self-esteem.
• Results in better sleep.
• Leads to a better weight.
• This means saving a lot of money on treatment, medicines, doctors, hospitals, and other “health repair” bills.
• Safeguards a family’s health by influencing them to live healthily.
• Ultimately results in being able to live a happier, less-restricted, more fulfilling life.

Tips to Achieve and Maintain Good Health

Follow these health tips to get healthy and stay healthy:

1. Have a healthy diet. That includes:
   • Eat plenty of proteins, the “building blocks of life.” Protein-rich foods include meat, fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, green leafy vegetables, seeds (sesame, sunflower, and poppy,) beans, lentils, legumes, and nuts.
   • Watch the amount of fats that are consumed, focusing on the “good fats” found in olive oil, fish oil, and coconut oil.
   • Eat high fiber foods like fruits and vegetables, whole-grain bread, oats, brown rice, nuts, seeds, and beans. These will help to maintain healthy bowels, lower cholesterol, improve sugar levels, and achieve healthy body weight.
   • Make sure to get plenty of vitamins and minerals.
   • Drink lots of water. When hungry, drink water first to help curb hunger until mealtime.
   • Eat at the right times. Eating too often and snacking all day are not healthy practices. Eating calorie-laden processed foods makes eating and snacking a problem.
2. Don’t put toxic things into your body. That includes cigarettes, alcohol, and abusive drugs. Toxic things also include unhealthy “junk foods” that are heavily processed and often highly salted or highly sugar-laden packaged foods.
3. Exercise regularly. A lot of exercise is not required, but regularity is important to achieve a healthy body. Consider:
   • Walking 15-20 minutes every day.
   • Taking a 5-minute walk after each meal.
   • Doing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise and 10 minutes of resistance exercise three to five times per week.
   • When not exercising, take opportunities to get up and move around.
4. Get adequate rest. People generally need seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Your body is the best gauge of what is enough sleep. To get good sleep, don’t drink coffee before bedtime, sleep in complete darkness, and try to follow the same times to go to bed and arise each day.
   • Avoid excess stress
   • Brush and floss daily to keep teeth and gums healthy and free of disease.

Health Tips to Achieve and Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

1. Brush at least twice a day. When not able to brush and between meals, rinse out your mouth with all the water you are supposed to be drinking anyway to flush away sugar, salt, and food particles.
2. Avoid tobacco. This will save you from oral cancer and periodontal problems. Also, avoid the agents sometimes used to mask the smoky breath and odor of tobacco including candies, tea, and coffee.
3. Limit the intake amount of high sugar carbonated drinks. Water is much better to hydrate one’s body than sodas. This is also a great healthy body tip.
4. Consume vitamins including calcium that are good for the body.
5. Visit a dentist twice a year for a full hygiene treatment. Also, pay attention to any toothache or dental problems and have them addressed quickly.
6. Use mouthwash in addition to brushing and flossing to kelp kill harmful bacteria in the mouth. That will help maintain strong teeth and great breath too.

Good oral hygiene includes avoiding the wrong things to eat:

• Grapefruit and lemon juice are highly acidic and can erode tooth enamel over time. If you drink these, be sure to brush well soon afterward.
• Chewy candy and hard candy can be very hard on teeth, sticking to the teeth and inviting bacteria to form harmful acid.
• Soda and sports drinks have high amounts of sugar and acid, which can be harmful to the teeth.
• Tea and coffee can badly stain the teeth.

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Closing Thoughts

It takes effort to have good health, and having a healthy body, mind, and spirit offers priceless benefits. As singer Reba McEntire said, “All the money in the world can’t buy you back good health.” So, it is important to expend the effort to achieve and maintain it.

Source:

https://www.mybeautygym.com/reasons-healthy-living-is-important/

https://www.healthylifestylesliving.com/health/healthy-lifestyle/the-benefits-of-living-a-healthy-lifestyle/

https://www.healthcarebusinesstoday.com/why-maintaining-your-health-is-so-important-in-life/