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Good health starts in your mouth

Good health starts in your mouth. Therefore, pay extra attention to the care of your teeth. This will be discussed extensively on 20 March during World Oral Health Day.

Poor oral care consequences

Many people don't realize it, but the health of your mouth has a major impact on your general health. Poorly cared for teeth can lead to inflammation of the jawbone, a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes, pneumonia and poorer functioning of the brain. There even seems to be a link between poor oral hygiene and developing Alzheimer's. Enough reason to take good care of your teeth and mouth every day.

If you have an inflammation of your gums, this also has short-term consequences. Think of decreased appetite and, for example, pain that radiates to your head, causing you to get a headache. Bad breath can also be the result of an inflammation in the mouth.

Good health starts in your mouth

If you want to prevent major problems with your health, it is important to take good care of your mouth. There are a number of guidelines you should follow for this. If you stick to this you have already won a lot.

  1. The teeth should be brushed as soon as the first tooth breaks out
  2. As soon as your child is 2 years old, it should be taken to the dentist for a check-up
  3. Do not give your child (fat) juice, lemonade or sweetened drinks, water is ideal
  4. Brush your teeth in the morning and in the evening
  5. Make sure to brush each quadrant for 30 seconds, so 2 minutes in total
  6. Keep 7 eating and drinking moments per day (drinking water is always possible). Limit the use of sugar as much as possible
  7. Do not eat or drink anything after brushing your teeth in the evening
  8. Go for a check-up at the dentist twice a year

Reading tip :5 Signs You're Eating Too Much Sugar

Diseases that affect oral health

In some cases, there is little you can do about oral health because of an underlying disease or condition. Nevertheless, it is also important in these situations to take good care of your teeth and mouth. Conditions that affect your oral health include:

  • Diabetes
  • Pregnancy (not a disease, but can cause problems with your teeth, because your body pumps all the good substances to the baby)
  • Nutritional deficiency, for example a deficiency of iron or a deficiency of vitamin B

What influences your oral health?

It is not only diseases and disorders that affect the health of your mouth. This also applies to things like smoking and the use of alcohol and drugs. Even (excessive) coffee drinking can affect your teeth.

Unfortunately, some medications are known to have a negative impact on oral health. If you are taking medication, keep an eye on your oral health. Sometimes you can switch medicine or you have to have a check-up a little more often.

Although radiant white teeth look incredibly beautiful at first glance, they are often not natural. Many people choose teeth whitening to achieve the desired toothpaste smile. However, whitening your teeth is not so good for the tooth enamel. This also applies to wearing veneers, which can eventually cause your gums to recede. The veneers are also attached to your teeth, so that they are damaged when removed.

Brushing teeth:electrically or manually

The choice for an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush is very personal. Not everyone likes to brush electrically. Yet an electric toothbrush has many advantages over a manual toothbrush:

  • Easy to use (toothbrush does all the work and spins much faster than you can ever achieve with a regular toothbrush)
  • Easy to use thanks to all kinds of technical gadgets
  • Proven less plaque and less gum disease

Electric toothbrush

If you opt for an electric toothbrush, the choice is huge. Oral B has an extensive range of electric toothbrushes. There are toothbrushes for children from 3 years old, but also especially for teenagers and adults. And with each new series, numerous innovations are introduced, making it even easier to keep your teeth clean and healthy.

The latest series is the Oral B iO series. These toothbrushes are equipped with the latest technological gadgets. There is an improved A.I. and added 3D tooth tracking function. The brush head is equipped with micro-vibrating bristles, making the teeth even cleaner.

In addition, the toothbrush has an interactive display, completely tailored to your preferences. The brushing pressure sensor prevents you from pressing too hard on your teeth. And the timer keeps track of the 2 minutes. Thanks to the 3D tooth tracking, you can keep track of exactly how well you brush your teeth. Ideal if you want to optimally monitor the health of your mouth.

A nice bonus:the toothbrushes are available in different colours!

What is World Oral Health Day?

Every year, March 20 marks World Oral Health Day. The day is organized by FDI World Dental Federation. In the Netherlands too, this is extensively discussed by Dutch oral care professionals and associations such as the KNMT and NVM dental hygienists.

Every year a specific theme is linked to this day. The theme for 2021 is:Be proud of your mouth. In other words:be proud of your mouth by taking good care of it. Appreciate your mouth and teeth and take good care of them, because you only have 1 pair of teeth as an adult.