How to Improve Your Dental Health With Exercise
Exercise has numerous advantages for your overall wellbeing, one of which being its beneficial effect on dental health. Regular physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of gum disease or periodontitis by encouraging healthier habits in your mouth.
Exercise poses the greatest risk to your oral health when engaging in physical activity. Blunt force trauma from a ball, bat, elbow or foot can damage soft tissue and teeth, potentially leading to secondary infection and even tooth loss.
1. Reduces Risk of Tooth Decay
Exercise not only benefits your overall wellbeing, but it can also protect your teeth! Studies have even demonstrated that regular physical activity may reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
Exercising can help protect your oral health because it increases saliva flow. Saliva washes away food and sugar from your mouth, helping prevent tooth decay. Furthermore, exercise combats bacteria and reverses the early stages of tooth decay by repairing tooth mineral.
Dry mouths make it more difficult for your body to fight bacteria and repair damage, so drinking plenty of water before and after exercising is key in order to keep your mouth hydrated.
Another way exercise can benefit your oral health is that it strengthens the immune system. Furthermore, exercise stimulates the growth of dentinal tubules (tiny tubes) inside teeth that transport nutrients and immune cells to the outside of the tooth.
Your teeth also contain tubules which help fight plaque. Plaque, which is a sticky film that accumulates on your teeth if not removed, can lead to tooth decay.
You can reduce your risk of tooth decay by eating a nutritious diet, drinking plenty of fluoridated water, brushing twice daily with toothpaste that contains fluoride, and visiting the dentist for checkups and cleanings on a regular basis.
Additionally, it’s essential to avoid foods and drinks that stick to your teeth for extended periods and contain high sugars. Snacking on items like cookies, ice cream, or dried fruit can all increase the likelihood of developing cavities since they stick and make it easier for bacteria to produce acid that damages enamel.
It is essential to opt for sugar-free options when purchasing soda or other drinks that contain sugar. Furthermore, using a straw when sipping on these types of drinks can help reduce the amount of sugar that sticks to your teeth and mouth.
Exercise is essential, but it’s also essential to follow a proper dental hygiene regimen, including brushing your teeth twice daily and flossing once daily. Furthermore, visiting the dentist regularly is recommended in order to prevent cavities and gum disease.
2. Reduces Risk of Gum Disease
Exercising is a proven way to reduce the risk of many health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But did you know it also has positive effects on your oral health?
Gum disease increases your risk for other serious health issues, as the bacteria that cause gum disease can enter your bloodstream and block coronary arteries, increasing the likelihood of heart disease or stroke.
Exercise helps reduce inflammation in your body, which can reduce bacteria in your mouth and help fight off infection. It also boosts production of anti-inflammatory cytokines–part of your natural immune system–to fight off inflammation.
Additionally, make sure you stay hydrated and avoid sports drinks with lots of sugar as these can feed the bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease. A dry mouth is another risk factor that could contribute to these issues.
To avoid these problems, brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once daily. Additionally, visit your dentist or hygienist on a regular basis for professional cleanings and examinations.
Your dentist can identify the early warning signs of gum disease, such as tender or bleeding gums, receding gums and persistent bad breath. Left untreated, gum disease could eventually result in tooth loss.
Recent research revealed that those who regularly exercised were 54% less likely to develop periodontitis than their non-exercising counterparts. Furthermore, non-smokers who exercised had a 42% lower likelihood of getting gum disease compared to non-smokers without exercise.
Exercise also has the added benefit of combatting anaerobic bacteria that often reside in mouths and lead to gum disease. Exercising causes increased blood flow to your mouth, which brings oxygen to your gums and eliminates these harmful microorganisms.
Exercise not only reduces your risk for periodontitis, but it can also keep your teeth and gums healthy by decreasing stress that causes gingivitis. Furthermore, exercising helps strengthen crystalline enamel which protects teeth against acidic foods, plaque accumulation and friction damage caused by chewing.
3. Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
Exercising is an excellent way to improve your overall wellbeing. Not only can it aid weight loss, regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels, protect against heart disease and diabetes, but it’s even known to lift spirits!
Exercising can range from taking a stroll to participating in an endurance race. Finding what level of activity feels good and helps you achieve the results you desire is key to successful exercise.
Start by consulting your doctor about the appropriate type of exercise for you. They’ll give you a workout plan and suggest some specialized equipment, as well as explain how to prevent injury and make the most out of each moment spent exercising.
According to the American Heart Association, 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week can reduce your risk for cardiovascular diseases. But even short bursts of exercise each day can have significant benefits on health; even minutes a day can make a big difference in terms of reducing disease and death rates.
Exercise can also benefit your dental health. Exercising regularly reduces inflammation, improves oral circulation and strengthens the immune system – all of which promote good dental hygiene.
Though research is still being done to determine how much exercise really makes a difference for your oral health, it is clear that regular dental visits, a nutritious diet and proper brushing and flossing can have an immense effect.
Recent research revealed that moderate physical activity had an impressive effect on reducing your risk for heart disease. The study examined the effects of various types of physical activity on more than 90,000 adults without prior heart disease.
The most striking benefit was that increased physical activity significantly decreased the risk of stroke – which can cause serious disability and death. Studies estimate that people who exercise at least 30 minutes daily had a 62 percent lower chance of experiencing stroke than those who didn’t.
4. Reduces Risk of Diabetes
Exercise has a tremendous impact on your body, improving nearly every aspect of health. It helps you maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic illnesses and even extend your lifespan!
Regular exercise can improve your mood and energy levels. However, it’s essential to start an effective exercise program with your doctor’s guidance, as too much or too quickly could cause injury and discomfort.
Exercise not only benefits your overall wellbeing, but it may also reduce the risk of diabetes. This is especially relevant for individuals who are overweight or obese or those at a higher likelihood of developing diabetes due to family history or other risk factors.
Studies have demonstrated that even minor changes to your physical activity level and timing can significantly reduce your risk for developing diabetes. For instance, people who walked 30 minutes daily on five days a week experienced an almost 25% reduction in their risk for the condition.
Exercise also reduces your risk of diabetes by strengthening the functioning of your immune system. Your immune system is the part of your body that eliminates harmful microorganisms and toxins; it’s an automatic process that you may not always think about, but one which plays a key role in protecting teeth and gums.
Your immune system works best when it’s strong, as this makes it better equipped to combat bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. Furthermore, strong teeth can better withstand damage caused by acidic foods and plaque accumulation.
Your oral hygiene practices can play an integral role in preventing diabetes. Dry mouth is particularly linked to increased risks of gum disease and cavities, since if your mouth isn’t well hydrated, it becomes harder for minerals to reach your teeth and keep them healthy.
Exercise on a daily basis not only strengthens your immunity, but it also gives you more energy – decreasing the likelihood that you’ll encounter diabetes-related symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness.
