No Mental Health Without Oral Health

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Oral health is tied to so many facets of your health. Unfortunately, this is a fact that is too often overlooked, resulting in surprising health consequences. One of the most surprising consequences of poor dental health is a decline in mental health. In fact, if you have poor dental health, it is really difficult to have healthy mental health.

Professionals, such as dentist Dr. Kassam, have said that the reason for this is complicated. Part of it has to do with how your physical health affects your mental health and part of it comes down to how you feel about yourself and what poor dental aesthetic can do to your self-esteem.

Physical Health and Mental Health

To begin with, as we stated above, mental health can be affected dramatically by your physical health. Part of that has to do with simply how well your body is feeling. Studies have already shown that people who suffer from periodontal disease, a type of gum disease, are more prone to cardiovascular issues and health decline. If you are harboring an infection in your mouth, all of that infection will go straight into your bloodstream, causing you to have health issues.

Having physical health problems will make it more difficult to feel good. You might find that you are having trouble keeping up with your normal routine, slowing you down in general. Feeling physically sick is not good for your mental health either as you can start to look down on yourself in a poor light. That is unfair to you all around and needs to be prevented.

Decreased Social Interaction

Missing teeth, obvious dental recession, or teeth that are full of cavities can be visually noticeable. As masks are less of a presence in 2022, the fact is that more people will be seeing smiles than they have in years. If you have a noticeably unhealthy smile, people will notice. It is unlikely that strangers will comment on it, but a loved one might. Regardless, people who are aware of their imperfect smile will be far less likely to risk showing it.

Isolation can be a huge cause of anxiety and depression. It can be hard to pull yourself up when you are alone with your thoughts all day. This means that your mental health will continue to decline if you continue through a period of self-isolation due to being self-conscious about your smile.

Missing the Joy of Food

Another issue that stems from poor dental health is that you will not be able to eat all of the foods that you previously enjoyed. This can be from sore teeth or gums, making chewing really difficult. It could also be temperature sensitivity, making it hard to stand foods that are too hot or cold. Finally, if you are missing teeth, you may not have the ability to simply bite into all of the things that you would like to bite into.

There is a kind of sadness that comes from not being able to eat what you want. It is a common condition for people who restrict food to lose weight, but people with poor dental health will suffer the same fate.

What to do about it

While there are a lot of negatives that come with having poor dental health, all is not lost. There are things that you can do to regain your oral health and improve how you are feeling mentally. The first step to this will be to maintain your oral hygiene by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day. Just getting into a routine for keeping your teeth clean will really help you get back on a path toward oral health.

In addition to home hygiene, you need to pay a visit to your dentist. Your dentist will be able to evaluate what is happening to cause such discomfort in your mouth and provide you with solutions. You can improve your oral health by following the guidance of your dentist.

Don’t let your mental health slide because of poor oral health. Take all of the healthy steps that you need to regain your oral health and help stabilize your mental health at the same time.

Bottom Line

When it comes down to it, the fact is that if you have poor oral health, you will have a hard time having good mental health. If your mouth is in a state of disrepair, it will be harder to eat what you should to stay healthy. It will also be harder to be willing to show your smile, while smiling is so important to maintaining good mental health.

Get into your dentist as soon as you can and see how you can not only treat what is bothering you but set you up for a lifetime of good oral health.

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