The importance of dental hygiene: Dental hygiene is an essential part of our overall health and well-being. Poor dental hygiene can lead to dental cavities and gum disease and has also been linked to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is a lifelong commitment. The earlier a person learns proper dental hygiene habits such as brushing, flossing, and limiting sugar intake, the easier it will be to avoid costly dental procedures and long-term health issues. Many steps can be taken to keep our teeth healthy and maintain good dental hygiene. This can be greatly reduced by: *Brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day *Flossing teeth at least once a day *Decreasing the intake of sugar *Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables *Avoiding tobacco products *Drinking fluoridated water *Seeking professional dental care The importance of brushing and flossing teeth daily The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing our teeth twice a day, in the morning and evening, with a soft-bristled brush. For optimum dental health and hygiene, the ADA suggests brushing our teeth for a minimum of 2 minutes each time and to make sure we brush every tooth. In addition to brushing, it is important to also clean between our teeth once a day. We can use dental floss or another interdental cleaner like floss picks or a water flosser. Cleaning or flossing between the teeth helps remove plaque and food particles that often get stuck under your gum line and between your teeth. If a person does not floss after every meal, bacteria will settle on the teeth or gumline, increasing your risk of cavities and other dental conditions. Brushing one's teeth can help prevent tooth decay that can lead to dental cavities, which is the formation of holes on the teeth, a condition that can result in tooth loss. Brushing also helps prevent bad breath, which may potentially discourage friends, colleagues, and family members from developing deeper interpersonal relationships with you. It is also important to brush our teeth to prevent gum disease. Brushing ensures the removal of plaque, which is the primary cause of tooth decay and gum disease; it also arrests the build-up of any plaque formation. It is a good practice to change out the toothbrush every 3-4 months. The toothpaste that is to be used should be an ADA-accepted toothpaste. This is important to ensure the right amount of fluoride is in the toothpaste.

How long is it recommended to brush your teeth? Current recommendations from the American Dental Association (ADA) encourage brushing for two minutes, twice per day. If a person spends less than two minutes brushing, they would not be able to remove much plaque from the teeth. According to current research, it has been determined that most people only brush for 45 seconds which is not much time spent on brushing their teeth. The research concluded that increasing brushing time from 45 seconds to 2 minutes may help remove up to 26 percent more plaque than normal. The effects of not brushing teeth regularly If a person does not brush twice daily after every meal and does not floss regularly, it affects dental hygiene negatively. Following are the problems that a person faces that can either affect the dental health or the overall health of the person: Gum disease Most people do not realize this, but our gums are not supposed to bleed when we brush and floss. If they do, you probably have gum disease. Gingivitis, the milder form of gum disease, makes gums red, swollen, and quick-to-bleed, which is part of a response to the bacteria in the plaque that builds up between the teeth and gums. If plaque spreads, the immune response heightens and can destroy tissues and bones in the mouth, creating pockets between the teeth that can become infected. At this severe stage, gum disease is called periodontitis, and it can become chronic. Tooth loss Bad brushing habits and poor dental hygiene can lead to tooth loss. A significant percentage of the population loses their permanent teeth due to poor brushing habits. Both cavities and gum disease can end in tooth loss. Bad breath Bad breath, clinically called halitosis, may affect as much as 65% of the population. Several conditions can have halitosis as a symptom, but the number one by far is poor dental hygiene. Food particles that linger long after meals can start to stink, and the less a person brushes and flosses, the more potentially damaging bacteria build up in the mouth. The coating on the tongue is also a key contributor to bad breath, so it is recommended to clean the tongue along with regular brushing and flossing. Dementia Research suggests that people with better dental hygiene have better health habits in general. It is reported that people not brushing their teeth daily had a 22% to 65% greater risk of dementia than those who brushed two times daily. In addition, a small study found that the brains of patients with Alzheimer's had more bacteria associated with gum disease than did those belonging to the cognitively healthy. Pneumonia When pathogens lurk in the mouth, they are inhaled into the lungs, where they can wreak all kinds of havoc. Improving dental hygiene through some methods beyond brushing and flossing helps in reducing the incidence of such pneumonia by 40%.

Diabetes Dentists have long known that diabetes is a risk factor for periodontitis, but new research is beginning to indicate that the relationship may be bidirectional. Extremely poor dental health may also be a risk factor for insulin resistance (often called "pre-diabetes") and diabetes, largely because it increases inflammation. Some studies have even indicated that in patients with both conditions, reigning in periodontitis may improve diabetes control. Heart disease Multiple studies have suggested that there may be a connection between gum disease and heart disease, both of which are associated with inflammation. Periodontal disease caused by pathogen bacteria could represent one of several possible causal factors of heart disease. Ulcers In people with periodontitis, the plaque that forms in the pockets beneath the gum line can become a reservoir for Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that is asymptomatic in most but is responsible for stomach ulcers when it flares up. Helicobacter pylori can be transmitted orally, and large epidemiological studies have found a positive association between periodontitis and a positive test for the bacterium, which is also a risk factor for stomach cancer. Cancer Recent evidence suggests that the extent and severity of periodontal disease and tooth loss may be associated with an increased risk of malignant disease. Gum disease and dental problems are also associated with the Human Papilloma Virus, which causes up to 80 percent of oral cancers. Smoking is a major risk factor for both gum disease and cancer. Periodontitis may promote the growth of cancerous cells in the mouth.