Baby careLifestyle

What Is Oral Health?

Oral health is a leading indicator of general health, well-being and quality of life.  It includes a number of diseases, including tooth decay, chronic gum disease, tooth loss, oral cancer, oral trauma, and cleft lip and palate.

Oral health means healthy teeth, gums, and the entire facial and oral system, allowing us to smile, talk and chew.  Some of the most common diseases that affect our oral health include cavities, gum disease and oral cancer.

Most of the people have pain associated with the formation of cavity.  Dental emergencies that require unplanned care cost an average of more and it’s always better to go for regular medical checkups. You can find a good affordable dentist closer to the place you live. You can check for dentist kew if you live in that locality. Oral diseases are often treated differently from other chronic diseases, but they are in fact interrelated.  Poor oral health is linked to other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.  Oral diseases are also associated with risky behaviors, such as smoking, eating sugary foods and drinking beverages. Most common diseases are:

Cavities

When there are cracks on the chewing surfaces of the teeth, especially along the gum line, the acids caused by the bacteria in the plaque that accumulates on the teeth cause the tooth enamel to decay.  Eating and drinking foods high in carbohydrates cause these bacteria to produce acids that can damage the outer layer of the tooth (enamel) or the root surface. Although tooth decay is largely preventable, it is one of the most common chronic diseases in a lifetime.  Rare cases can cause fatal outcome.

Periodontal Disease

It is a very common oral health problem.  Some conditions increase the risk of recurrent diseases in humans, including diabetes, a weak immune system, poor oral hygiene, and heredity.  Tobacco chewing is a major risk factor for gum disease.  If left untreated, disease can lead to tooth loss and gingivitis.  Teeth with small bony structures may weaken and eventually need to be removed.

Oral Cancers

Avoid risky behaviors, including smoking, and chewing tobacco. Excessive alcohol consumption can be risk factor for cancer of the mouth.  Early detection is the key to accelerating the survival rate of this cancer. It is said that the most common cause of oral cancer is due to human papillomavirus. This is a sexually transmitted disease but this can be present in most people in the population. This can be a risk factor for the development of oral cancers. Multiple oral diseases share variable risk factors with major non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and so on.  These risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and unhealthy sugary foods, all of which are on the rise around the world.  Oral health is an important component of general health.  For example, diabetes has been reported to be associated with the development of recurrent inflammation.  In addition, there is a link between high sugar intake, diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.

BerryMcewen
the authorBerryMcewen