Oral Health and Your Overall Well-Being

Oral health includes more than just teeth.  It also refers to the condition of your:

• Upper and lower jaws
• Gums and supporting tissues
• Chewing muscles
• Roof of your mouth
• All linings of the mouth and throat
• Tongue
• Lips
• Salivary glands

Plus, branches of the nervous, immune, and vascular systems are involved in protecting, nourishing and moving these parts – as well as connecting them to the brain and the rest of the body.

Why is oral health so important?
A great smile – fresh breath – pain-free teeth and gums; these are the known benefits of good oral health. 

However, they are only part of the picture – good oral health is essential to your overall health and well-being.  Growing research suggests a link between chronic oral infection and various medical conditions, including:

• diabetes
• heart disease
• respiratory disease
• stroke
• low birth-weight/premature babies

Taking care of your teeth and gums benefits more than your smile!

How does oral health affect general health?
Everything you put in your body passes through your mouth – foods, medications and tobacco products, to name a few.  Good choices can ensure a healthy mouth and a healthy you.

Since your mouth is the gateway to your body, poor oral conditions interfere with breathing, eating, swallowing, sleeping and speaking.  These effects alone show a strong tie between mouth and body.*

There is a link between mind and mouth, too.  Self-image and self-esteem can be affected by oral health conditions such as birth defects, chronic pain, cold sores, oral yeast infections and cancers.  These conditions can interfere with daily activities and may result in lost productivity, chronic stress and depression. 

Fortunately, early signs and symptoms of some conditions and diseases can be detected in the mouth,* and with such easy access, saliva may one day become a medical diagnostic substance of choice.

* Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2000

Enjoy all of the information and tips in our dental health library.

Dental Emergencies
What to Do About a Toothache
What Should I Do If I Lose a Filling Or Crown?

Dental Health Topics
I Brush, Why Do I Have to Floss?
Amalgam Fillings - Tested and Approved
What to Do About Bad Breath
Can Cold Syrup Make Your Teeth Sick?
Caring for Your Toothbrush
A Berry-Good Weapon Against Tooth Decay

Oral Health and You
The Seven Eating Habits of Healthy Smiles
What Is Good Oral Health?
Oral Health and Your Overall Well-Being
Your Oral Health and Heart Disease
Your Oral Health and Diabetes
Your Oral Health and Pregnancy
Oral Health Infant to Teen
Oral Health: Senior Smiles
Preventive Oral Care for Everyone