Regular Brushing and Flossing Can Mean a Longer Life

If you’ve ever ignored the advice from your dentist to floss regularly, you’re not alone. However, dentists have good reasons for wanting patients to brush and floss regularly. Not only does it prevent bad breath, cavities, gingivitis, and other oral health problems, but taking care of your teeth can actually mean living a longer and healthier life!

Don’t believe it? The reality is, the mouth is connected to every other system in your body. So if your mouth suffers from gum irritation, those toxins and inflammation can affect the rest of your body, including your cardiovascular system. How this happens is inflamed gums also inflame the bone in your teeth and jaw. This infection can seep into the bloodstream, and then damage blood vessels and other organs. And those organs respond to infection by also becoming inflamed.

That’s a pretty big deal! And if that’s not enough reason to start a better brushing and flossing regimen, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and kidney and liver infections can also be added to the list of diseases that are associated with poor oral care habits.

So even though that piece of floss doesn’t seem like it’s doing anything other than getting the occasional popcorn kernel unstuck from your teeth, the truth is it’s doing a lot to help extend your life. In fact, it’s possible that daily flossing can add an average of 6.3 years to a person’s lifespan!

Talk to the family dentists at Dakota Dental to find out more information about the importance of dental health. The dentists at Dakota Dental can help show you and your family how to clean your teeth properly to prevent cavities, inflammation, and avoid other potential health issues.

If you already have gingivitis symptoms, be sure to make an appointment at Dakota Dental for gum disease treatment. Once inflammation is taken care of, your mouth – and entire body – will be better off because of it.