Thanksgiving is a time of year when we express gratitude for all that we have. One thing many people don’t value until they’ve lost it, is good oral health. Having a bright, healthy smile improves your life in many ways, and you should take steps to keep it that way. 

Good oral health provides all the following benefits and more.

Sharing Your Smile Confidently

Maintaining good oral health is essential for a beautiful smile. Even if you aren’t considering cosmetic treatments to enhance your smile, you can still rely on general dentistry to prevent issues that could degrade its appearance over time.

Tooth decay and gum disease can mar your smile, affecting both individual teeth and overall oral health. Keeping up with routine hygiene at home and paying regular visits to your dentist help combat them, meaning you’ll be ready to share your smile with the world at all times.

As a matter of fact, smiling more often can help boost your mood as you act out positive feelings. It also lets you express yourself and remain more confident in social interactions. A beautiful smile helps make a great first impression in nearly every area of your life.

Eating What You Like

Your smile isn’t just about looks. It also has an important job to do.

You need strong, healthy teeth to bite and chew your food. If your teeth start to deteriorate, you may find that maintaining a varied and nutritious diet becomes a serious challenge.

If you have a mouth full of healthy teeth, you can eat essentially any food you like, barring any dietary restrictions. You don’t have to worry about the menu at an upcoming family dinner or work event—you can simply show up and enjoy yourself.

By contrast, damaged or missing teeth can limit what you eat or make biting and chewing painful.

Being able to chew properly also helps ensure that you derive the full nutritional benefit from your food. The inability to chew thoroughly and enjoy a varied diet contributes to malnutrition in many people with missing teeth, particularly older adults. Taking care of the teeth you have today is the best way to avoid losing them later in life.

Living Without Pain

Pain and discomfort are both symptoms that can arise from poor oral health. Both tooth decay and gum disease can lead to acute and chronic pain that leaves patients with a significantly reduced quality of life.

Healthy teeth have a solid layer of protective enamel. Brushing your teeth and getting routine checkups and cleanings protects that layer, but tooth decay and physical wear can cause it to weaken and deteriorate, resulting in sensitivity and pain.

Good gum health also helps you live pain-free. When gum disease takes hold, it can cause inflammation, infection, and impacts on your teeth and jaw as well. Proper brushing and flossing therefore serve to keep your gums healthy for years to come.

Speaking Clearly

One element of good oral health that most people overlook is the role it plays in clear speech and communication. While talking may seem to come naturally, it’s actually a complex process that involves many parts of the mouth and throat, including your teeth.

Even one missing tooth can affect your ability to speak clearly. This in turn can affect your confidence and make you less likely to engage in social situations. People missing most or all of their teeth sometimes have significant difficulty in speaking.

By taking good care of your teeth, you can ensure that you continue enjoying social situations as you age. That said, there are also effective treatment options that can restore the ability to speak confidently in patients with missing teeth, such as dental implants.

Enjoying Long-Term Wellness

Your oral health also impacts other aspects of your well-being. In other words, protecting your teeth and gums can help you avoid seemingly unrelated health conditions.

Gum disease, in particular, can contribute to inflammation that contributes to a wide range of issues, such as cardiovascular conditions.

There’s also the connection between oral health and nutrition. The inability to chew properly and eat a varied diet can lead to malnutrition, which contributes to many other ailments. Higher infection rates, slower recovery, and increased frailty are all linked to malnutrition.

Protecting Your Oral Health—Start Today

Whether you currently notice any signs of oral health issues, or not, you should make it a point to visit your dentist near Omaha regularly for preventive care or any restorative or cosmetic treatments you might need. Take some time this Thanksgiving season to visit The Tooth Doc and safeguard your oral health for the future. Book your next appointment today.