Good oral hygiene saves… your LUNGS?

Practicing good oral hygiene goes way beyond keeping your teeth white and your breath fresh.

Your mouth is the gateway to your body, and keeping germs and bacteria out of your mouth will not only make your dentist happy…

It can also do wonders for the long-term health of your LUNGS.

Let’s have a look.

Sure, staying on top of your oral hygiene helps prevent bad breath, gingivitis, and gum disease (and even keeps your heart healthy) …

But did you know that grabbing your toothbrush could help you breathe easy and fend off LUNG DISEASE?

See, most chronic lung diseases are characterized by inflammation—which often causes excess mucus, resulting in difficulty breathing.

Periodontitis (gum disease), is a common bacterial infection that involves severe inflammation of the gums.

And folks with severe lung disease (like COPD), often have severe gum disease too—making the connection hard to ignore.

Now, what makes this all news? After all, there has been plenty of previous research linking a possible connection between gum disease and lung disease (with inflammation being a culprit).

But there’s a new study called BRuSH that is taking things further.

It is aiming to find out what comes first (the inflammation or the bacteria). The study focuses on young patients with mild to moderate gum disease, removing bacteria from their mouth, and using both saliva and blood samples to determine if their lungs function better as they get older.

The hypothesis behind the study is to determine if inflammation and bacteria in the mouth is a precursor to chronic lung diseases.

This would help determine if getting rid of the oral bacteria and inflammation through good dental practices could stop lung disease from developing.

It should be noted that the research isn’t fully completed (yet), but there’s no harm in being proactive now to eliminate harmful bacteria that can live in your mouth.

Make sure you’re brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing regularly. And, of course, keep seeing your dentist so they can get a closer look at your gums and teeth to identify any potential issues.

And if you want to take your oral hygiene 101 to the next level, learn how adapted horizontal vertical flossing technique (AHVFT)—a flossing method endorsed by the American Dental Association—can further breakdown harmful mouth bacteria.

To total oral health,

Cory Templeman
Senior Editor, eAlert

Sources:

King, Anthony. “How flossing and brushing may be good for your lungs.” https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-03-flossing-good-lungs.html