It is easy to understand why oral hygiene is important for your mouth. But did you know that poor oral hygiene causes problems throughout the rest of your body? Besides creating health issues, poor oral hygiene can create social issue for you too. Who wants to be known as the person with bad breath? If these aren't reasons enough to practice good oral hygiene, here are a few more:
Top 10 Reasons to Practice Good Oral Hygiene
1) Did you know that bad teeth, caused by poor oral hygiene, could give you a heart attack? Numerous recent studies have shown that ignoring oral hygiene could encourage heart disease and that there is a relationship between periodontal disease and a greater risk for developing problems with the heart and circulatory system. In a study at the University of Montana, researchers followed participants ranging in age from 57 - 75 with no history of stroke or heart disease. They scanned participants' carotid arteries for atherosclerosis and examined participants' teeth and gums, looking for signs of periodontal disease. Besides analyzing signs such as plaque on the teeth and pockets between the teeth and gum, they also counted the number of teeth each person - considering tooth loss to be a sign of past periodontal disease. The study showed that people with the most missing teeth had the most carotid artery plague.
2) Poor oral hygiene can give you systemic injuries. Pyorrhea is an infection of the gums and tooth-sockets. The infection starts beneath the edges of the gums and progresses into the membranes that attach the root of the tooth to the socket. There, a pocket is formed and as the pus is continually produced it is discharged into your mouth and swallowed. Also, as the tooth rises and falls in its diseased socket during ordinary chewing, bacteria are forced into the circulation and may be carried to other body parts, attacking tissues in which they can thrive including your heart, kidneys and lungs.
3) Practice good oral hygiene to keep all of your teeth. Pyorrhea is also the culprit of tooth loss. As this gum infection progresses, it destroys the membranes that attach the root of your tooth to the tooth's socket. A pocket is formed around the root and the tooth becomes loosened, eventually falling out.
4) Bad breathe, also known as halitosis, is caused by poor oral hygiene. Although there are other factors that affect the quality of your breath including smoking, gum disease, dry mouth and medicines, the primary cause of halitosis is oral bacteria. Control your breath by brushing, flossing and visiting your dentist for professional cleanings.
5) Good oral hygiene prevents cavities. One of the most obvious reasons to practice good oral hygiene is to prevent cavities. Acids that eat away at tooth enamel are caused by dental plaque. The bacteria in plaque consumes sugars and the waste product created from these bacteria digesting sugars is the acid that causes demineralization of tooth enamel and dentin. The more often and longer duration that food is in your mouth, the greater chance plaque has to grow. Minimize in-between meals and snacking. Brush twice and day and don't forget to floss.
6) Oral hygiene promotes a pretty mouth. Practicing good oral hygiene helps you to preserve your natural good looks. Your smile is one of the first things that people notice - and poor oral hygiene can speak volumes in an instant. If you have braces, oral hygiene is even more imperative. Spending thousands of dollars to straighten your teeth will seem meaningless if after you remove them you have white scaring on your enamel. Poor oral hygiene can allow plaque to work behind braces, causing white scars that could become permanent. Keep your teeth healthy, white and cavity-free with a nutritious diet, visits to your dentist twice a year and proper oral hygiene.
7) Oral hygiene prevents gum infection. Harmful bacteria called plaque are also the cause of gum disease. If you do not control plaque it will build up on your gums and irritate them, eventually causing them to bleed easily. When left uncontrolled the infection can attack your bone and connective tissues. Teeth will loosen and ultimately must be removed.
8) Oral hygiene is good for your bank account. Practicing good oral hygiene is the foundation of preventive dentistry, whose goal is to maintain healthy teeth and gums, and to prevent oral illnesses. A proper diet and plaque control will help you to safeguard yourself against dental decay and keep expensive repairs to your mouth to a minimum. While preventive dentistry, such as professional cleanings, is usually covered 100% by insurance, retroactive repairs such as root canals are not. Safe time and money by practicing good oral hygiene - and prevent expensive problems from rearing its ugly head.
9) Practice good oral hygiene to keep your energy levels high. Lack of sleep, hectic lifestyle and stress can weaken the body's defense system and affect overall wellbeing. When you have an infection in your mouth, it can cause your immune system to be constantly elevated. This constant elevation can affect your energy levels, making your feel tired more often as well as increasing your susceptibility to other illnesses.
10) Good oral hygiene is your most simple, economical way to keep a happy, healthy smile. Brush, floss, visit your dentist regularly cleanings and checkups, eat a healthy diet, drink lots of water and stop smoking. Following the proper approach to oral hygiene will held you keep a full, durable and brilliant set of teeth for your whole life.
Showing posts with label hygiene. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hygiene. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Question Of Hygiene.
The recent epidemic which we have called influenza, because we know of no better name, has robbed the photographic profession of some of its best known members, while others, happily recovered, have suffered severely from it. As it is well known that the disease is most likely to attack those whose vitality has been impaired by any cause, it is worth while considering the conditions under which many photographers work.
Comparatively few photographic businesses are carried on in premises built for the purpose, and in contriving accommodation for the various branches of work there is often over crowding and poor ventilation, both of which are inimical to health. It is, perhaps, in the dark-room that the worst conditions prevail, and now that bromide paper is so universally employed for printing, a much larger proportion of the working-day is spent therein than was the case when daylight printing was almost exclusively the practice. In excluding white light from an ordinary room there is always a great risk of excluding air as well, and, unfortunately, few dark-rooms are so contrived that when not actually in use they can be thrown open so that light and air are freely admitted. For it must not be forgotten that light has a purifying effect equal to, if not superior to, fresh air. In many cases the door forms the only source of ventilation, and, when closed, the unhappy operator has to breathe the same air over and over again. A good many years ago we were consulted with regard to a dark-room lamp which the purchaser declared was faulty, as, after being lighted for a few minutes, it commenced to smoke and gave practically no light. The dealer from whom it was purchased tested it in his shop and pronounced it to be in good order. This was also the case when we tried it. Finally, we ascertained that the dark-room was only about six feet square, and that it had a well-fitting door, so that "the light that failed" did so through lack of oxygen. If an electric bulb had been used instead of a paraffin lamp the question would not have arisen, but the operator's health would certainly have suffered. We have seen in a prosperous West-End business a dark-room which could only be used by opening the window for a few minutes after developing each set of plates. This allowed a change of air which was quickly used up by the two assistants working there, rendering another stoppage necessary. Here was a waste of time from a business point of view, besides incalculable damage to the health of the unfortunate inmates. It is not always realized that a gas or oil flame, which does much to vitiate the atmosphere of the dark-room, may, with a little ingenuity, be used to create a current for ventilating purposes. Even the electric bulb is of some value in this way, and the small half watts with their much greater heating power should be quite effective. Dampness in the dark-room is another fruitful source of ill-health, and we fear that this condition is often concurrent with bad ventilation, making a truly fatal combination. At least one instance of robust man contracting tuberculosis through working in such a room has recently come under our notice.
We emphasize the necessity for a sanitary dark-room on account of the much greater proportion of time which is now spent in it. When daylight printing was used for the bulk of the work, perhaps two hours a day was the limit of time for which the operator was actually boxed up; but with bromide nipper as the only medium, he is shut up practically the whole day. Although we have inferred that a printing-out process is healthier for the worker than bromide in a badly ventilated room, it is quite possible to conduct it under adverse conditions, the use of the open arc for printing necessitating much more space and, better ventilation than is generally provided. We have in our mind one work-room where three huge pairs of carbons were being used for printing platinotypes giving off unsupportable fumes, while a large dry- mounting press further poisoned the air. The girl employees looked like candidates for the hospital, and we were not surprised to learn that changes in the staff were frequent.
The war hag taught us many things, especially with regard to lab our, and nothing has been more clearly demonstrated than that true economy of lab our consists in keeping the worker fit by providing healthy workrooms, working a moderate number of hours, and promoting cheerfulness generally. One bad practice which is common in most small businesses is for the workers to remain indoors during meal times. This should be discouraged, and except in bad weather a little outdoor exercise should be taken. If there is a lassitude and disinclination to do this it may generally be assumed that there is something which requires attention in the state of the premises.
The more sedentary the occupation the greater the necessity for outdoor recreation and exercise. "Health systems" are too dull for most people and are not likely to be persevered in, but walking, cycling, rowing, swimming, tennis, net-ball, and even football and hockey are all valuable medicines, not unpleasant to take, and the employer will do well for himself as well as for his staff if he practices one or other if possible, and encourages his staff to engage in such recreation.
Comparatively few photographic businesses are carried on in premises built for the purpose, and in contriving accommodation for the various branches of work there is often over crowding and poor ventilation, both of which are inimical to health. It is, perhaps, in the dark-room that the worst conditions prevail, and now that bromide paper is so universally employed for printing, a much larger proportion of the working-day is spent therein than was the case when daylight printing was almost exclusively the practice. In excluding white light from an ordinary room there is always a great risk of excluding air as well, and, unfortunately, few dark-rooms are so contrived that when not actually in use they can be thrown open so that light and air are freely admitted. For it must not be forgotten that light has a purifying effect equal to, if not superior to, fresh air. In many cases the door forms the only source of ventilation, and, when closed, the unhappy operator has to breathe the same air over and over again. A good many years ago we were consulted with regard to a dark-room lamp which the purchaser declared was faulty, as, after being lighted for a few minutes, it commenced to smoke and gave practically no light. The dealer from whom it was purchased tested it in his shop and pronounced it to be in good order. This was also the case when we tried it. Finally, we ascertained that the dark-room was only about six feet square, and that it had a well-fitting door, so that "the light that failed" did so through lack of oxygen. If an electric bulb had been used instead of a paraffin lamp the question would not have arisen, but the operator's health would certainly have suffered. We have seen in a prosperous West-End business a dark-room which could only be used by opening the window for a few minutes after developing each set of plates. This allowed a change of air which was quickly used up by the two assistants working there, rendering another stoppage necessary. Here was a waste of time from a business point of view, besides incalculable damage to the health of the unfortunate inmates. It is not always realized that a gas or oil flame, which does much to vitiate the atmosphere of the dark-room, may, with a little ingenuity, be used to create a current for ventilating purposes. Even the electric bulb is of some value in this way, and the small half watts with their much greater heating power should be quite effective. Dampness in the dark-room is another fruitful source of ill-health, and we fear that this condition is often concurrent with bad ventilation, making a truly fatal combination. At least one instance of robust man contracting tuberculosis through working in such a room has recently come under our notice.
We emphasize the necessity for a sanitary dark-room on account of the much greater proportion of time which is now spent in it. When daylight printing was used for the bulk of the work, perhaps two hours a day was the limit of time for which the operator was actually boxed up; but with bromide nipper as the only medium, he is shut up practically the whole day. Although we have inferred that a printing-out process is healthier for the worker than bromide in a badly ventilated room, it is quite possible to conduct it under adverse conditions, the use of the open arc for printing necessitating much more space and, better ventilation than is generally provided. We have in our mind one work-room where three huge pairs of carbons were being used for printing platinotypes giving off unsupportable fumes, while a large dry- mounting press further poisoned the air. The girl employees looked like candidates for the hospital, and we were not surprised to learn that changes in the staff were frequent.
The war hag taught us many things, especially with regard to lab our, and nothing has been more clearly demonstrated than that true economy of lab our consists in keeping the worker fit by providing healthy workrooms, working a moderate number of hours, and promoting cheerfulness generally. One bad practice which is common in most small businesses is for the workers to remain indoors during meal times. This should be discouraged, and except in bad weather a little outdoor exercise should be taken. If there is a lassitude and disinclination to do this it may generally be assumed that there is something which requires attention in the state of the premises.
The more sedentary the occupation the greater the necessity for outdoor recreation and exercise. "Health systems" are too dull for most people and are not likely to be persevered in, but walking, cycling, rowing, swimming, tennis, net-ball, and even football and hockey are all valuable medicines, not unpleasant to take, and the employer will do well for himself as well as for his staff if he practices one or other if possible, and encourages his staff to engage in such recreation.
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