From obesity to lung cancer to heart disease and stroke – your mouth plays a much more significant role in our overall health than many of us realize. That’s where holistic dentistry comes into play. It takes into consideration your oral health in relation to your entire body as one, interconnected vessel. Here’s why more and more people are choosing holistic dentistry as their method of oral care.
The Body and Mouth
When it comes to your body – everything is connected. We understand that a bad diet can affect our energy levels, not drinking enough water can cause headaches, and a bad night’s sleep can make our muscles sore. This may seem obvious, but when it comes to your mouth, gums, and teeth, they tend to get overlooked. Your mouth is the central point for so much of what your body depends upon, and oral health has much to do with the health of your entire body. Sometimes, nutrition and exercise can even have more of an impact on oral health than preventative treatments of dental intervention can.
Eating poorly, heavy smoking, drug and alcohol use, lack of exercise – these are all physical factors that can easily impact the mouth and cause significant adverse health effects. For smokers, lung cancer is the number one health factor highlighted, but it’s also a significant factor in the development of mouth cancer as well – something not as commonly known.
The same thing goes for obesity and the consumption of a poor diet. Those fatty foods and sugary drinks not only affect your waistline, but they also directly affect the deterioration of tooth enamel and the health of gums.
The Heart and Mouth
Not only is bad oral health associated with poor physical health, but it can also have serious effects on your heart as well. In fact, heart disease is directly connected to oral health.
When you combine poor diet, and lack of hygiene and care for your mouth, plaque can easily develop and fester, incubating infections and disease such as coronary disease, clogged arteries, heart attack, and stroke.
Holistic Dentistry
Holistic dentistry takes into consideration all of these factors to analyze and assess the health of your mouth in conjunction with your health, habits, and lifestyle. That way, a more comprehensive understanding of the causes and symptoms can be identified, addressed and more effectively prevented or treated. Holistic dentistry can help avoid more expensive and invasive dental treatments.
If you’re interested in a more comprehensive approach to oral care and health that highlights the connection between mouth and body, ask about our holistic practices and how they can benefit you.
