The lifestyle choices that we make paly a great role in determining the kind of health and quality of life that we are going to have.
As far as the oral health is concerned, you will notice that even after sticking to regular oral care hygiene you may face certain problems related to your mouth. This happens because of the lifestyle choices that you make like your habits, what you eat and how much you follow the instructions of your dentist and so on.
Even though you try to take care of your oral health moderately, it can be the poor habits that you follow or are addicted to that can spell doom for the oral health. In fact, your risks of gum disease, gingivitis and periodontitis rise a lot if you don’t follow good lifestyle habits.
That is why it is essential to develop lifestyle habits that prove beneficial to your oral and overall health. Here are some ways to do that. Just take a look.
- Poor Choices of Food – If you are not so careful with the food choices it can end up not only harming your overall health but also your oral health. You should always opt for a balanced diet if you want to take care of your health. In this case, consuming more of vegetables, fruits, raw nuts, almonds, yoghurt, cheese, pineapples, celery and items with vitamin A and C can come to your assistance. But munching on the crackers, chips and fried items can wreak havoc on your oral health. That is why if you are craving for a beautiful smile you must choose what you put in your mouth carefully.
- Smoking – The best thing you can do to your oral and overall health is to quit smoking if you are addicted to cigarettes. Quitting to smoke can reduce the chance of a person for a heart attack, cancer including oral cancer and stroke. You can reduce your chance of developing gum disease significantly if you do not smoke. This is also a leading cause of sensitivity and tooth loss. The other effects that smoking or using other tobacco items can have on the oral health are –
- Bad Breath
- Late Healing after oral surgery and tooth extraction
- Stained Tongue and Teeth
- Options of Dental Care Treatments like implants getting limited significantly
- Reduced Sense of Smell and Taste
- Having Poor Sleep Habits – Do you manage to get sufficient amount of shuteye every night? Research reveals that people who fail to get minimum 7-8 hours of snooze every night, have a greater risk of developing gum ailment as compared with those who manage to grab the optimum amount of siesta. The primary reason behind this is that a lack of sleep leads to inflammation and when the gums get inflamed, it leads to gingivitis which is the first stage of gum ailment.
- Having Too Much Sugary Foods and Drinks – Sugar happens to be extremely harmful for the dental health. Cavity results from these which ultimately gives rise to tooth decay. The sugary items that you consume can get converted into acids by the bacteria present in the mouth. Cavities and holes are the end results when you have lots of sugary treats and your teeth enamel gets attacked by acids. So it is always advisable to stay away from the sugary items like fruit juices, soft drinks, candies, cakes and sports drinks. If you are not able to get rid of sugar easily you should start slowly and take mini steps towards the reduction of the intake and you will develop a great habit before long.
- Taking Alcohol Everyday – People who are addicted to alcohol are more prone to develop poor oral hygiene than those who do not drink. Therefore, your liquor addiction can harm your teeth a lot as you may stop taking care of your gums and teeth. Secondly, the consumption of alcohol can also dehydrate the mouth and in that case your saliva production gets affected severely. Your mouth fails to scrub away bacteria as a result of that. This results in them entering the body and causing serious health problems including heart issues. So refrain form taking alcohol often if you really want to take care of your oral health.
- Biting Nails and Using Teeth as Tools – You may have come across several nail biters and most of them follow this habit subconsciously. The consistent biting can make the pearly whites move and even crack in certain cases. This can also happen with people who use their teeth as tools and open soda bottles with them. But these are bad habits that you should shun immediately. Afterall, teeth are meant for just chewing and assisting us to speak. Being used as a tool is not what teeth are supposed to do and that is why you should not use them for such tasks.
- Leading a Sedentary Life – Exercising is great for almost the entire body and your mouth is not an exception to that. Studies have revealed that the people who exercise on a regular basis or at least weekly have a significantly lower risk of periodontal disease than those who can be called couch potatoes. Exercising can benefit your oral health in other ways as well. For example, it can assist diabetic people to get their diabetes under control which also helps with easier management of gum ailment. Again, stress which is one of the major contributors towards bruxism is also reduced when you exercise.
The above are some of the lifestyle factors that can affect your oral health massively and if you continue with these habits your oral health is bound to deteriorate. So if you want to stay away from dental problems and going for tooth cavity treatment frequently, you should get rid of these habits as soon as possible. Only then you will be able to retain your oral health and a million-dollar smile for years together that you will love to flaunt wherever you go.
