While it may be one of your kid’s least favorite things to do, visiting the dentist and keeping everyone’s teeth clean is extremely important for overall health. Oral cleanliness should be a part of everyone’s habits, starting in early childhood and continuing throughout all life stages. To better understand the importance of oral health, we’ve put together a list of five reasons for good oral hygiene and how to stay healthy!

Reasons for Good Oral Health

1. Oral Health is Connected to Your Overall Health

While it may not seem so, your oral health is a primary way to know if you are healthy. Because your mouth is a direct access point to your stomach, lungs, and other organs, it’s important to keep it hygienic and keep infections and bad bacteria away.

2. You Can Prevent Tooth Decay or Loss

Younger and older individuals tend to be more susceptible to tooth problems, including decay or loss. It’s important to keep teeth clean at any age, but regularly seeing a dentist and taking care of your teeth is important if you’re younger, older, or have health risks. Tooth decay and loss is a serious problem facing many, but can be prevented with good oral hygiene!

3. Whiter Teeth

Are you looking for a beautiful, gleaming smile? One of the reasons for oral health is to keep your smile shining. Good oral practices keep your teeth from yellowing, cracking, or decaying. Keep your smile beautiful with regular dental care.

4. You Can Look for Signs of Diseases

Keeping up with oral health will help you be able to detect diseases early on. Although regular dental visits can help you look for signs of gum or tooth disease, you can also detect other diseases such as acid reflux and even heart problems. Seeing your dentist can keep your whole body healthy!

5. You Can Prevent Diseases Before They Happen

Another reason for oral health is disease prevention. While some diseases can only be treated, not prevented, others can be prevented or slowed with good dental hygiene. Keeping your teeth and gums clean can actually help with the prevention of respiratory problems, asthma, and oral diseases that can even lead to certain cancers. Your dental hygiene affects more than you think.

How Can I Stay Healthy?

Staying healthy and keeping your mouth clean isn’t difficult. Dentists recommend:

• Seeing your dentist every three months
• Brushing your teeth at least twice a day, but preferably after each meal
• Checking your mouth for any changes
• Avoiding sugary or unhealthy foods
• Avoiding smoking

Visit Your Dentist Today!

It’s easy to forget to schedule regular dental checkups, but your oral hygiene is important. 

Each of the reasons for oral health above is just as important as the rest, and may be the key to keeping your body healthy and happy. If you live in the Redondo Beach area and need better oral health and a happier smile, visit Dr. Alen Gharibian today at The Dental Center of Redondo Beach!