Good oral hygiene is necessary to boost your smile and confidence and reduce the risk of diseases. Brushing and flossing your teeth is a basic way of maintaining clean teeth. This routine, coupled with regular dental cleanings, minimizes plaque buildup and the risk of tooth decay. Besides impacting your oral health, clean teeth can also impact your weight, with poor oral hygiene increasing the risk of obesity.
Inflammation and Body Weight
The mouth hosts thousands of bacteria that can harm your gums and teeth with poor oral hygiene. To reduce their number and slow down bacterial activity, you should regularly brush and floss your teeth. With poor hygiene, these bacteria will multiply and spread in your mouth, causing inflammation. Gum inflammation will then affect your body’s capacity to absorb nutrients, and the body will focus more on fighting the infection resulting in weight gain.
Gum Disease Affects Your Energy Levels
Gum disease is linked to diabetes and will worsen its symptoms. As your body responds to gum disease, it will release an inflammatory compound that alters how your body stores fat and utilizes energy. These compounds affect the body’s ability to utilize sugars, and the body will convert and store sugars as fats instead of using them for energy, resulting in obesity. Inflammation can also cause fatigue, affecting your ability to stick to an exercise routine for weight management. Low energy levels will affect your workout schedule and cause obesity. Inflammation also affects your hunger pangs by altering the utilization of leptin protein. If you constantly feel hungry, you will eat more, resulting in weight gain. Given the above risks of poor hygiene, you should stick to a healthy routine by brushing your teeth using the right technique and fluoride toothpaste to minimize plaque buildup. For more details on oral health and weight management, contact our office today.
