EEvery time you brush and floss your teeth, you’re doing more than just freshening your breath and preserving your smile. Research suggests you may also improve your overall health and even extend your life.
People often think of dentistry as a largely cosmetic specialty, says Anita Aminoshariae, professor of endodontics at Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry. But “the mouth is not disconnected from the rest of the body,” she says. Quite the opposite: Studies suggest that oral health is linked to everything from heart health to longevity, even if many people don’t realize it.
Oral health goes beyond the mouth
Researchers call this phenomenon the “oral-dental connection,” and it’s been highlighted in studies for years. Some of the earliest findings on this topic concerned the links between oral health and diabetes. It’s now well established that blood sugar levels in diabetic patients can improve when they’re treated for gum disease, and that their gum disease can get worse if their diabetes improves.
Oral health also appears to be linked to other measures of cardiometabolic health, including how likely people are to develop or die from heart disease. In a recent study, Aminoshariae and co-authors found that people with very poor oral health (those with 10 or fewer natural teeth in their mouths) were about 66 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than people with more robust smiles. Another recent study, co-authored by Yau-Hua Yu, an associate professor of periodontology at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, found that people who describe their oral health as fair or poor are at increased risk of dying and may also be more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.
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Like most research on the link between oral health and systemic health, these studies can’t prove cause and effect. It’s possible that the relationship actually works the other way: People who are unhealthy are more likely to have poor dental health, Yu says. Other factors, such as socioeconomic status and access to nutritious foods, may also play a role, she adds.
But Aminoshariae believes that oral health directly influences overall well-being. She thinks of teeth as sand dunes. Just as dunes protect inland areas of the sea, Aminoshariae believes teeth protect the body from foreign substances that could cause disease. “Once they’re gone,” she says, “it’s like everything falls into place.”
The microbiome, the name given to the legions of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that circulate in the human body, is another possible explanation, Yu says. When you don’t brush your teeth properly, allowing food and other debris to build up on and between your teeth, the bacterial communities in your mouth can change, potentially contributing to gingivitis and gum disease over time, she says.
When gum health is compromised, the consequences can be many. Blood vessels in the gums “leak,” says Yvonne Kapila, professor and associate dean of research at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry. When a person’s gums are inflamed or diseased, “that leakage allows bacteria and viruses and all these other things that are in the outside world to get into your body” and potentially spread throughout your body through the bloodstream, she explains.
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In some cases, bits of bacteria or other microbes can travel from the gums into the bloodstream and cause disease or inflammation in other organs, Kapila says. Bacterial material from the mouth has been found in cancerous tumors, heart valves, diseased livers, and the brain tissue of people who died of Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few notable examples. And, Kapila adds, animal studies by his team and others suggest that altering the mouth’s microbiome—by treating gum disease, for example—can help reverse some of these problems, signaling a true cause-and-effect relationship between oral health and overall health.
How to take care of your oral health
The good news is that most people already know what they need to do to keep their mouths healthy: eat a nutritious diet, brush your teeth every morning and night, and floss regularly. Yu’s research suggests that inadequate flossing is associated with a higher risk of death, while other studies show that good flossing practices reduce the risk of developing gum disease. Brushing your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day, also reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to other research.
“Just like you shower every day, you have to brush your teeth every day and clean the gaps [in between] “Every day,” Yu said. “It’s basic stuff.”
Finally, make regular visits to your dentist twice a year so a professional can assess the health of your teeth and gums and intervene, if necessary, before things get worse. “Prevention, prevention, prevention is key,” says Kapila.
