In recent years, discussion on oral health has evolved beyond the basic necessities of just needing treatment and taking precautionary measures to protect your teeth to more of a focus on how having poor oral health can negatively affect your quality of life.
Think about it for a minute. How many daily tasks require your teeth or mouth to either be used physically or to be on display? Quite a few, actually!
Whether we are eating, smiling, talking or singing-there are so many daily activities that involve our mouths and teeth.
In this brief article, we refer to research conducted by local Oakville dentist, Dr. Locavino, who examines how oral health can affect your quality of life by breaking down daily activities.
Indeed, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) included social well-being as one of the key indicators of overall health, we examine how this relates to oral health.
Eating
The first aspect of your daily life that you need good oral health for is eating. Human beings need good teeth to taste, process, and digest food. We shouldn't also forget about the social dimension of it, either.
Have you ever been out for dinner with someone who finds it difficult to eat?
Or perhaps they have a poor set of teeth and seem uncomfortable to eat in public.
Either way, food is one of the key sources of happiness in a person's day and if the process becomes embarrassing or painful due to poor oral health, it can have long-lasting negative effects on well-being.
Smiling
The ability to smile is something that many take for granted. It is for common for people with poor oral health to struggle with smiling or laughter out of a fear of embarrassment which can have a hugely negative effect on self-esteem. Think of all the school, college or wedding photos with individuals who are unable to smile.
The link between oral health and self-esteem is a topic long examined but has gained more attention in the last few years. Particularly in the digital and social media age-with increasing numbers of people willing to post images of themselves with a huge smile and symmetrical facial features. Increased exposure to these images can make people who have poor oral health ever-more conscious about their own image.
The long-term side effects of this can lead to severe mental health issues such as paranoia, body-shame and depression.
Talking
Humans are fundamentally social beings. Our ability to talk in a clear, specific language is a huge part of our identity. How you speak-your language and your pronunciation of words have a huge effect on how you are perceived. Whether you like it or not, one of the first things people remember when meeting someone new is how they talk.
People with poor oral health can often struggle with talking. Your teeth are crucial mechanisms in assisting your mouth with pronouncing words and often, an inability to speak a certain way can negatively affect someone's quality of life.
Indeed, many studies exist on the link between oral health and speech intelligibility and articulation. No matter how we may think it doesn't matter - whenever you are applying for a job or going on a date or attending a social event if you're speech is impaired due to poor oral health - it could leave to negative professional or personal consequences.
Why are we discussing this?
The tone of this article may appear slightly severe-but it is not intended to scare. Instead, it's simply to inform that the state of your oral health can have negative effects on your daily life.
Although many cases of poor oral health are due to genetic or inevitable health issues, for many others, poor oral health is simply the result of bad self-care or aesthetics.
Whether it be brushing teeth regularly, reducing sugary foods or visiting a dental practitioner for regular check-ups, most people can prevent having poor oral health.
As the article highlights, poor oral health does not only affect your teeth and mouth but can have profound mental and social issues-which can have far greater longer-term health consequences.