Eating the healthiest foods, following a perfect work out routine, and sleeping for a healthy number of hours? Think that you are perfectly healthy? We hate to break it to you, but there is a really important thing that you are missing out, and that is your oral health.

While working to maintain your health, many people disregard their oral health, which is one of the significant mistakes they can make. Like many others, you fail to realize that your oral health is way more important than you think.

Bad oral hygiene will not only pave the way for a toothless grin, but it will cause you much more harm than you will ever realize. Want to know in what ways does your oral health impacts your overall health? Here is a list of all that can go wrong due to a badly maintained oral-health!

Gum Inflammation Increases Risks of Heart Diseases

Many people are unaware of the fact that there is a strong link between your oral and cardiovascular health. Gum diseases are very harmful; they expose your mouth to bacteria for an extended period, increasing the risk of heart diseases.

Numerous studies have been carried out, and the results provide a clear connection between gum diseases and cardiovascular diseases. People with bad oral health have twice the risk of enduring a fatal heart attack than those who regularly maintain their oral health.

If you ever visit a cardiologist, you will see that they ask you about your oral health. It is proof of what a significant role your oral health plays in your life.

Bad Oral Health Leads to Diabetes

Majority of the people believe that a diabetic patient is prone to gum diseases, while in reality, it is the other way around. According to studies that focused on determining the relationship between oral health and diabetes, found out that gum diseases are the most significant contributing factor in causing diabetes.

The reason behind is the fact that gum diseases negatively affect blood glucose control, which exposes the body to diabetes. Gum diseases or any kind of periodontal disease is an infection which causes the bacteria to produce toxins. The toxins affect carbohydrate metabolism in individual cells.

Another reason behind it is that the periodontal bacteria increases insulin resistance, resulting in disrupted blood glucose levels.

Higher Risks of Lung Infections

Bad oral health is one of the many ways you can fall victim to severe lung infections. Moreover, if you already have an infection in your lungs, such as the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – COPD, the periodontal disease can worsen the condition.

Not maintaining your oral health will pave the way for periodontal diseases which exposes the body to germs. Exposure to germs is what causes infections in the lungs.

Complications in Pregnancy

Did you know that deteriorating oral health and hygiene may cause complications in your pregnancy? Well, periodontal diseases expose you to gestational diabetes; in addition to this, it can cause deliver pre-term.

During pregnancy, you must regularly visit a dentist or a hygienist. Not doing so, will result in your baby being born pre-term and with low birth weight. Not only this, but it gives birth to various health and developmental problems in the baby. Asthma, birth abnormalities, and ear infections are some of the most common health problems in the baby due to a mother’s periodontal disease.

In the worst cases, it even raises the risks of infant death. Therefore, if you are an expecting mother, you need to take care of your oral health.

Smoking Causes Cancer

“Smoking causes cancer,” it is something that almost every individual is aware of. When you smoke, you are jeopardizing your oral health which exposes your body to life-threatening illnesses.

When you quit smoking or reduce the number smokes you take in a day, you significantly reduce the risks of development of cancer, lung, and heart diseases.

Oral health is very important, and not focusing it might expose you to severe diseases. It is common to neglect oral health while maintaining your physical fitness, but the negligence can put in grave danger. A wise approach is to protect your overall health, along with a balanced diet and workout sessions.

There are some basic ways to maintain your overall health and keep your mouth healthy. Some ways you can keep your oral hygiene in check is by brushing your teeth twice every day, flossing daily, and using mouth wash after eating. In addition to this, regular dental checkups, and replacing your toothbrush after every three months are the most effective ways you can keep your mouth healthy!