When we think about health, we can think about a lot of different aspects. There’s a specialist for everything, and even general practitioners don’t care for your entire body. Yet research shows us the same risk factors again and again, regardless of which part of your body is being discussed. As it turns out, things that are bad for your heart are also bad for your mouth and vice versa. We’ve put together a list of common risk factors and what you can do to overcome them!
1) Unhealthy, unbalanced diet
You need nutrition to make your body work properly. There’s just no getting around that. If you eat poorly, your body will function poorly. To overcome this, you need to be intentional about your diet. We’re not saying that you need to give up everything you love, but you do need to balance your meals so that you’re getting plenty of nutrients, vitamins, and protein, which will strengthen your teeth and bone. Avoid sticky, sweet foods that are bad for your tooth enamel.
2) Dehydration
Water, water everywhere! The trick to overcoming this risk factor is to keep water everywhere! Invest in a great reusable water bottle, and take it everywhere! Drinking plenty of water helps with saliva production, which will fight bacteria in your mouth. Bacteria cause bad breath, decay, and gingivitis, so keeping your mouth hydrated will lower the risk of those three things.
3) Not keeping routine appointments
When you choose to avoid your regular check-ups, you are removing the doctor’s ability to find problems before they get out of hand. Routine, regular appointments allow you and the doctor to maintain an open discussion about your health, which is extremely important when your health can change so quickly. Check in often so that you can stay on top of anything that might come up.
Overall health includes oral health, and the risk factors are the same. Poor diet, dehydration, and avoiding the doctor are all common risk factors for just about any health problem out there. If you combat these things for your teeth, the health of the rest of your body will follow. Contact us today if you would like some more way to beat common risk factors before they affect you. We’d love to help you get going on the right track!
