Hygiene is what everybody talks about. Be it personal hygiene or physical hygiene, all of us are highly concerned about our hygiene aspect. However, regular dental hygiene is somewhat a forgotten term in many people’s dictionary. But many of us do not know that our overall health is somewhat related to our dental health.

A poor oral health may lead to many diseases or ailments which are discussed here below.

1. Although our mouth has bacteria which are always under control and act as an important tool for maintaining a good niche for the balance of all elements in the mouth. However, if this bacteria gets overboard with its multiplication due to poor oral hygiene or no brushing or flossing. This may, in turn, leads to a lot of infection issues in the body.
2. Likewise, in cases of medications which are regularly taken such as diuretics, antihistamines or painkillers may lead to less of saliva, this condition is also known as xerostomia. In xerostomia, due to less formation of saliva, bacterial growth is very high leading to caries and drifting of bacteria in the bloodstream.
3. In case of periodontitis where gums are quite vulnerable to infection due to poor gum hygiene, chances are that the infection may spread to the system via saliva.
4. One can easily diagnose any systemic problem by examining saliva because oral cavity can brief you about any type of problem you might be facing or are going to face in near future
5. In cases where someone wears dentures and his oral care is very poor, such a condition can lead to oral thrush which is a type of fungal infection on the palate or cheeks.
6. Diabetes is a disease which is considered as a silent killer. If your diabetes is uncontrolled, the first sign it may show up being so might be in your mouth. the gums may be swollen and bleed on slightest of provocation, the plaque and calculus keep on collecting which soon lead to pus formation in the gums. This condition is known as pyorrhea. In this, even the bone under the gums and the teeth get eroded.It is difficult to treat unless the diabetes is controlled.
7. Infection in the gums may spread in the body leading to cardiovascular diseases. As due to inflammation in the mouth, there is inflammation of the arteries too. The inflamed arteries from the base of atherosclerotic plaque which may clog the arteries and lead to heart attacks in the future.

It is essential to keep the oral cavity very clean. Although hundreds of bacteria live in our mouth, either excess of them or deficiency of them may lead to many problems in the body. It is always better to regularly visit your dentist in every six months and a general checkup is always an additional help in diagnosing diseases if any.

One should brush the teeth twice daily without fail; its main purpose is to remove all the sticky food particles and the plaque from the teeth. Daily cleaning helps a lot in keeping the mouth healthy. Also, mouth washing and flossing are some other necessary measures one can apply in daily routine to keep the oral cavity healthy.