There are many indicators that can tell you a lot about your overall health. Think of things like blood sugar levels, bowel movements, and sleep patterns, but have you ever thought about oral health and its impact on your overall health?
Oral Health and Overall Health
According to noted cosmetic dentist Dr. Bill Dorfman, “Oral hygiene is responsible for a lot more than the obvious.” Let’s start with one of the most obvious things though – bad breath. If you do not brush, floss, and take care of your teeth with regular dental cleanings, you will have breath, shares Dr. Dorfman.
But why do we even have bad breath to begin with? “Bacteria that live in your mouth produce something called volatile sulfur compounds,” the dentist explains. “These volatile sulfur compounds kind of produce a gas that smells like rotten eggs.” (Yuck!)
You can only do so much at home with brushing and flossing, which means you actually need to go to a dentist who can clean the plaque and calculus off of your teeth. (Both of these things cannot be done through brushing and flossing). “Especially the calculus, which is the hard kind of tartar on your teeth. [Calculus] will harbor these bacteria and the bacteria produce this bad smell,” says Dr. Dorfman.
Another thing that people are not aware of is that 90% of oral malodor (aka bad breath) originates on the tongue. “If you do not clean your tongue, you are also missing an area where the bacteria live in all these little crevices and deep grooves on your tongue,” notes Dr. Dorfman.
Solution: Try a tongue scraper and practice tongue scraping.
Brushing and flossing along with tongue scraping are some of the most obvious things when it comes to oral care, but that is not all though. Another problem that can arise from having poor oral hygiene is infections in the gums. “That can also cause bad odors and gum bleeding,” says Dr. Dorfman. “Aesthetically, it looks really horrible because you have these red bleedy, puffy gums.” And let’s be real – no one wants that.
However, Dr. Dorfman says probably the most dangerous and significant correlation between poor oral hygiene and your health is the link between periodontal disease and heart disease. (Periodontal disease is where you have bone loss occurring because of bacteria living in your mouth). “There have been numerous studies that show that there is a very high correlation between periodontal disease and severe heart conditions, which can even become life-threatening,” shares Dr. Dorfman.
As you can see, it is not only an aesthetic advantage to have a clean, healthy mouth, but there are a lot of very significant health benefits to good oral hygiene as well.
Habits That May Be Hurting You
So what are some oral habits that may be hurting you? This first one may be a bit of a shock to some – brushing. We just discussed the consequences of a lack of brushing, but what about over-aggressive brushing?
“If you use a very hard toothbrush, it will erode off the enamel of your teeth and permanently damage your teeth,” says Dr. Dorfman. “You should never use a toothbrush that is hard, medium, or firm.” Instead, Dr. Dorfman recommends always using a very soft toothbrush because brushing too hard is also detrimental to your gums. Dr. Dorfman says if you brush too hard you may lose gum tissue and tooth structure. (Yikes!)
Next up: lemons. “People who suck on lemons destroy their dentition,” shares Dr. Dorfman. “The acidity of the lemon basically dissolves the outer surface of your teeth and will destroy your teeth, so you never want to do that.”
There are also eating disorders like bulimia that can destroy your teeth. “When you are continually vomiting or constantly vomiting, you are basically subjecting your enamel to a very, very acidic fluid, which has the exact same effect as sucking on lemons,” explains Dr. Dorfman. “Ironically, people who suck on lemons will have this severe damage on the outer surface of their teeth that you see, while people who are bulimic will have this damage on the inner surfaces that you do not typically see as it is on the backside of the teeth.”
Dr. Dorfman says there are other oral bad habits like biting on pens and other things that you put in your mouth that can potentially chip or crack your teeth. Think of things like chewing ice, pen caps, and popcorn kernels. “You should never bite down on anything that is really hard in your mouth,” notes Dr. Dorfman.
Let’s not forget about smoking. Dr. Dorfman says smoking destroys your teeth. It stains them, it burns them, and it causes irreparable damage.
If you are inclined to wear a grill, Dr. Dorfman advises you to go to a dentist and have one made that is not going to damage your teeth. “Do not go to some makeup artist who knows nothing about dentistry, because these can really hurt your dentition,” he says. “I have also seen a lot of damage from people that have piercings on their tongue where it literally kills their lower front teeth and they end up losing their teeth, so I would highly recommend not doing anything like that.”
Oral Health Habit Hacks
When it comes to “special remedies or other oral health hacks, Dr. Dorfman does not believe in them. “I am not a big believer in hacks. There is no hack. You gotta put in the work,” he shares. “I mean, it is pretty easy. Brush and floss after every meal and go to the dentist at least twice a year.”
If you cannot brush or floss after every meal, Dr. Dorfman recommends at least doing it twice a day. “It takes harmful plaque 24 hours to really organize itself and stick to your teeth and cause any damage, so as long as you are really in there getting it off twice a day, you should be in great shape.”
Practicing What He Preaches
When it comes to Dr. Dorfman’s own personal oral hygiene and overall health, he has a few tips on what he does for his own happiness and health. “As far as oral tips, I brush and floss after every meal,” he shares. “I always have since as soon as I got into dental school and they had us look under a microscope to see what kind of bacteria live on your teeth if you do not clean them properly,” he recalls. “I became convinced that this is something I am going to do all the time.”
As far as his fitness, “I think the best way to approach fitness is to look at fitness as a lifelong commitment,” he says. “People often say, ‘How did you get in such great shape?’ My answer is, ‘I did not. I have always been in great shape.’ I was an athlete as a kid and I just never stopped working out.”
Dr. Dorfman says this does not mean that you have to spend hours and hours and hours in the gym every day, but simply making a commitment to spend at least an hour every day doing some sort of exercise. “If that is too much for you, then do it every other day,” he notes.
“I basically have two workout routines and I alternate between them,” shares Dr. Dorfman. “One is my upper body, doing a medium amount of weight with a lot of repetitions and always ending with a nice session focusing on the abdomen. Always remember to start off with stretching too,” he mentions. “My other routine is where I start off stretching and then spend a good half hour on core and abs, and then the other half hour on some kind of cardio, either running or biking or swimming.”
Oral health may seem innocuous to our overall health, but in reality, it can and does play a significant role. Be sure to brush and floss at least twice a day, after every meal if possible, visit your dentist for a professional teeth cleaning at least twice a year, and avoid any habits that may be causing harm to your oral health and thereby overall health – your teeth and health will thank you