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How regular visits to your dentist can help you live longer

Living a healthy life and adopting healthy habits are very important ways to increase your life expectancy, as well as improving your overall quality of life.

These habits include eating well, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of water, limiting alcohol consumption, choosing not to smoke, sleeping well, and minimising stress.

And visiting your dentist on a regular basis!

It’s another very important aspect of living a healthy life.

Your dentist does so much more than just keep your teeth looking good. In partnership with an oral health therapist, we will also screen for and address gum disease, clean plaque and tartar from your teeth (which regular brushing can keep at bay but not completely remove), and clean between your teeth and in those hard to reach places.

Your dentist or oral health therapist will also screen for problems such as oral cancers (including in areas like the palate, lips and tongue), and recommend changes to your dental hygiene and overall lifestyle.

How does your dental health impact on your lifespan?

When your teeth are not professionally checked and cleaned on a regular basis, food debris, plaque, and bacteria build up.

Plaque constantly forms on your teeth, consuming sugars and starches from your diet, resulting in acid formation which attacks your tooth enamel. In time, this leads to gum irritation and even impacts on the bone in your jaw.

Your gums will eventually become swollen, bleed easily, and pull away from the teeth. This leads to an environment where more food debris can become trapped, more plaque forms, and inflammation gets worse.

DID YOU KNOW… If you have poor oral health, the bacteria which live in your mouth can be very harmful, and this not only causes pain, inflammation, and bad breath; it can enter the bloodstream and travel elsewhere within the body.

 

There is a confirmed link between gum disease and inflammation, and issues including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and dementia. Good oral health that is actively maintained with regular dental check-ups can minimise the risks.

Preventative dentistry, which involves regular visits to your dental professional for dental examination and cleaning, not only prevents tooth decay (as well as keeping your teeth looking their best) but also reduces your risk of developing gum disease, bone loss, bad breath, and associated serious health issues.

Call us on (03) 5222 4599 at Myers Street Dental Clinic in Geelong to schedule your next dental check-up today – it’s your first step to a longer life and you’ll feel fantastic!