Your Health: 3 Steps for a Healthy Mouth
Most people don’t realize just how much mouth hygiene matters to your overall health and well-being. A healthy mouth is more than just about bad breath and cavities – it can actually affect your body’s ability to fight diabetes, prevent heart disease and even improve memory. Understanding and caring for your mouth can ultimately be a life-saving act.
That’s why it’s important to know exactly what to do to create and maintain a healthy mouth. Here’s how:
Fight Diabetes
Mouth bacteria can cause inflammation that weakens the body’s ability to keep blood sugar under control. Out-of-control blood sugar can lead to gum disease and is devastating for those with diabetes.
Prevent Heart Disease
A bacterial infection in your mouth can enter the bloodstream and directly infect the heart’s blood vessel walls – and you may not even know it because it’s hidden under gums. Up to 75% of people have some form of gum disease – 90% of people with heart disease have gum disease.
Improve Memory
Researchers believe gum disease can influence brain function. Gum disease causes inflammation throughout the body, which can be a risk factor for loss of mental function.
5 minutes, twice a day.
Step One: Prepare and Rinse
- Prepare. Floss or use a Waterpik to remove food and bacteria between teeth.
- Rinse. Pre-Rinse with Closys mouth rinse to balance acidity levels (1 minute).
Step Two: Brush and Clean
- Brush. Use a soft toothbrush with Sensodyne Pronamel Clinical Enamel Strengthening toothpaste.
- Clean. Rinse with Crest Pro-Health Advanced Clinical CPC rinse (30-60 seconds).
Step Three: Protect and Prevent
- Protect. Rinse with ACT Anti-Cavity Fluoride Rinse (1 minute)
- Prevent. Use Xylitol Daily. 5 exposures, equaling 6 to 10 grams per day.