Preventive dental care involves routine dental checkups and cleanings from your dentist every six months. These visits are more important than you may think. Not only do professional dental cleanings help keep your teeth and gums healthy, they also keep your body healthy too. In fact, numerous studies have linked your oral health to your overall health. While you may have heard of the relationship between gum disease and heart disease, a more recent study demonstrated a possible link between regular dental visits and sicknesses like pneumonia. The VCU study reported that, “people who don’t visit the dentist for preventive care have an 86 percent greater risk of contracting pneumonia than those who visit two or more times a year.
Professional Teeth Cleanings Lower Risk For Pneumonia
Billions of microbes live inside your body. While most of these microbes (or bacteria) are harmless, there are some that can compromise your dental health as well as your body health. When the following types of bacteria enter your mouth and travel to the lungs, pneumonia can result:
- Strepococcus
- Haemophilus
- Staphylococcus
- Anaerobic Bacteria
The study found that more of the pneumonia-causing bacteria listed above existed in those who did not visit their dentist for routine dental cleanings. Your professional cleaning does far more than what your toothbrush can do at home. A dentist’s tools and professional-grade products are designed to provide a thorough cleaning, which include a range of benefits from polishing off stubborn stains across your smile to eradicating any harmful bacteria that may be harboring in tight spaces.
Schedule Your Dental Cleaning Today
How long has it been since you saw a dentist? At Gilreath Family Dentistry, we welcome patients of all ages and all walks of life. You’ll find that we love the opportunity to care for your smile, regardless of whether it has been six months or six years since your last teeth cleaning. This short and painless dental visit could brighten your smile and protect your overall health!
Posted on behalf of Dr. Paul Gilreath IV,
