Understanding the Link Between Gut Health and Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene is something that we are taught from a very young age. As well as cleaning your teeth regularly, it includes flossing, visiting the dentist on a semi-regular basis, and taking steps to reduce the risk of damage to the structure of your teeth and jaw.

All of this is of course in aid of protecting your teeth and ensuring that you maintain a straight white smile that you can be proud of. But did you know that oral hygiene has other links to your health and wellbeing – spanning gut health and other ailments?

How Are Gut Health and Oral Hygiene Linked?

While the aim here isn’t to throw you into a full biology lesson, in order to understand the link between your teeth and your tummy, we need to look at the bacteria that moves from the mouth into the digestive system.

Both our mouths and our guts are home to a collection of bacteria called a microbiome – however, when the two are not kept in balance with each other, this leads to issues.

When you do not keep up a good oral hygiene routine, brushing regularly and removing plaque, harmful bacteria can be allowed to enter the bloodstream and move down towards the gut – creating digestive issues.

And it doesn’t end there. This is a two-way system with both the oral microbiome and the gut microbiome depending on the other to stay balanced. When the gut becomes inflamed, it creates oral issues which culminate in issues like bad breath and gum disease.

If you’re curious to learn more about the oral microbiome and its broader impact on health, check out this insightful article from The Times: What is the Oral Microbiome and How Does it Affect Your Health?.

What Can We Do to Keep the Microbiomes Balanced?

The link between the two microbiomes in the gut and in the mouth means that keeping the two balanced is important. That’s why maintaining a healthy gut is as important as conducting and following an effective oral hygiene routine.

Some of the best things to do include following a healthy and active lifestyle, eating nutrient-dense food, reducing the intake of sugar, and boosting vitamins like Vitamin D and C.

From an oral perspective, this means brushing and flossing twice a day, staying hydrated, managing stress, and considering the value of probiotic yoghurts and supplements.

How Your Dentist Can Help

The key to maintaining good oral hygiene and therefore supporting good overall health is to not just embrace the at-home techniques but also to visit your dentist regularly – especially when you have reason to believe there’s an issue with your teeth.

Sensitivity can indicate that there is a growing cavity or issue with one or more teeth, while things like malocclusion can make it difficult to brush all your teeth effectively and therefore cause an increase in plaque.

If you are concerned about an area of dental hygiene or want to find out ways to perfect your smile and boost your overall health at the same time, don’t hesitate to get in touch with The Dental Works.