A Healthy Mouth Leads to a Healthy Body

Dr. Bill believes in staying fit and healthy and explains that there is mouth and body connection when it comes to overall health.

Famously known as “America’s Dentist,” Dr. Bill is recognized as the leading dentist responsible for creating smiles for many of Hollywood’s brightest stars. A star in his own right Dr. Bill was also the featured dentist on the hit ABC series, “Extreme Makeover,” where he performed amazing dental transformations on the show’s participants as well as a recurring guest co-host on the Emmy-Winning daytime talk show, “The Doctors.” In addition, Dr. Dorfman is a world-renowned lecturer & author of the best-selling cosmetic dentistry book, The Smile Guide and the NY Times bestseller Billion Dollar Smile.

On the topic of good oral health Dr. Bill shares with us the importance of mouth and body connection when it comes to overall health…

The Mouth and Body Connection

The mouth is loaded with harmless bacteria, however, poor oral hygiene can aggravate unhealthy bacteria that could lead to gum disease and tooth decay. Just like staying fit and active keeps the body healthy, brushing twice and flossing once a day will help prevent oral infections. However, other factors could increase the chances of gum disease or tooth decay.

Medications

Painkillers, antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants and especially diuretics, can affect salivary glands. Saliva helps wash away food particles and bacteria while neutralizing the acids that produce mouth bacteria, this helps protect microbial invasion or overgrowth. Certain over the counter and prescription medications can affect the flow of saliva, which could cause dry mouth and other oral health complications as well.

Systemic Disease

Just like regular exercise and a good diet keeps people with disease healthy enough to fight off infection, good oral hygiene, including regular trips to the dentist, keeps the mouth healthy as well.

Heart Disease

A bacterial infection, gum disease can affect the heart. Recent studies are showing that gum disease allows bad bacteria to attach fatty deposits in the vessels of the heart through the blood stream. Those deposits can lead to heart attacks and blood clots.

In one study, there was a distinct relationship between stroke and periodontal disease. Patients who were diagnosed with cerebrovascular ischemia, a condition that can cause brain tissue death, ischemic stroke, or cerebral infarction, were more prone to oral infections than those who did not have the condition.

Staying Mouth Healthy

Keeping teeth and gums healthy is vital to overall health and is easy with these simple oral health tips:

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
• Clean between teeth with dental floss or interdental brushes
• Don’t use mouthwash right after brushing as it rinses away the fluoride
• Stop smoking as it helps reduce tooth loss, gum disease and oral cancer
• Change the toothbrush when the bristles start to fray
• Schedule regular dental appointments
• Wait one hour before brushing after meals
• Avoid snacking
• Rinse after eating citrus and acidic foods
• Keep fruit and sugary food consumption restricted to meal time
• Enjoy a healthy diet rich in vegetables, vitamins, and minerals
• A cube of cheese after a meal can reduce damaging acids from attacking enamel

Staying fit for life, Dr. Bill believes the secret to success is overall health and can be found working out at his favorite get healthy getaway, Equinox, for at least an hour each day. Dr. Bill rotates between swimming and weight lifting and enjoys regular adventurous and active vacations all over the globe. Water and snow skiing are his favorite sports. Believing that exercise is just part of the picture, Dr. Bill maintains a healthy diet and avoids alcohol and fatty foods.

Dr. Bill believes that it’s not just about getting in shape, but about, “staying in shape for life.”

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