How dental health keeps you healthy and happy

There is much that we overlook when it comes to our dental health, including its vital influence on overall health and wellbeing. It may also be why we favour a careless approach to oral hygiene until such a time when a dental concern, be it pain, tooth loss, bleeding gums, inability to eat properly, arises to interfere with our daily living.

No matter child or adult, taking a proactive stance on dental health and hygiene work to keep physical bodies and minds happy and healthy. Even though children only have use of their baby teeth for a short period, these should still be looked after with daily cleanings and regular dental visits to the dentist Sydney CBD, to protect the proper development of the adult teeth to follow.

To understand best the strong link between good oral health and wellbeing, it helps to first understand what the dangers are of not taking care of oral health.

Adverse effect of poor oral health on children

Children’s wellbeing is affected in a slightly different way as to that of adults. When dental cavities remain untreated to advanced stages that cause pain and discomfort, children’s physical, mental development and mental and emotional wellbeing are at risk. Children, due to the pain, may:

• Refuse to eat
• Have difficulty sleeping
• Lack concentration at school
• Avoid talking
• Not want to play games

It is clear that the consequences of poor oral health in children has a direct link to their development and their ability to function. Dental authorities in Queensland observed that as high as 55 percent of children between the ages of five and fourteen showed signs of tooth decay of which 24 percent had dental cavities in four or more of their teeth.

To stem this undesirable state of affairs in children’s health, it is imperative that parents supervise their child’s dental cleaning routine and to ensure their teeth are routinely checked by professional dentists.

Adverse effect of poor oral health in adults

The Australian Dental Association lists the lifestyle factors that contribute to the development of oral health conditions, among them are: smoking, stress and unhealthy eating habits.

Problems with adult dental health have a far wider reach than that experienced with baby teeth as the consequences also include unplanned costs of dental care with the price tag increasing as treatment plans become more complex.

Besides the financial expenses of dental care, there is also the hard-to-measure cost of loss of confidence in one’s appearance.

Persons suffering from poor dental health that results in tooth decay or tooth loss (gaps in teeth), may find that they are less willing to smile and may even want to avoid face-to-face communication. This drop in confidence can have a disastrous effect on quality of life. These individuals may find it challenging to:

• Get a job
• Make friends
• Eat properly

Poor dental health, periodontal disease in particular, may also lead to the development of medical health problems caused by bad bacteria from the mouth getting into the bloodstream.

To speak to a trusted dental professional about the state of you or your loved one’s teeth, contact Spa Dental Sydney CBD.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.