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Your mouth is a mirror that reflects your overall health and well-being, according to Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Health and Human Services secretary in the recently released Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health. It's also a key determinant of your nutritional status and your self-esteem.
"Oral health means more than sound teeth. Oral health is integral to overall health," she said.
The report, which was the first that the U.S. Surgeon General has undertaken to assess the nation's oral health, is intended to "alert Americans to the full meaning of oral health and its importance to general health and well-being."
But what is oral health?
First of all, the word "oral" refers to the mouth, which includes not only the teeth and gums and their supportive tissues, but also the roof and the floor of the mouth (the hard and soft palate), the tongue, the lining of the mouth and the throat (called the mucosa), the lips, the salivary glands, the upper and lower jaws, and the chewing muscles. Oral health also involves the branches of the nervous system, the immune system and the vascular system (blood vessels) that serve this part of your body.
So consequently, oral health means more than just being free from cavities and gum disease. Oral health, the report states, means overall health in the tissues that "allow us to speak and smile; sigh and kiss; smell, taste, touch, chew and swallow; cry out in pain; and convey a world of feelings and emotions through facial expressions."
At Art of Modern Dentistry, our team is prepared to answer all questions pertaining to your dental health and appearance.
Select the topics below for more information about dental health:
» Oral Hygiene
» How to Brush and Floss
» Children's Dentistry
» Periodontal Maintenance
» Choosing Oral Hygiene Products
» Nutrition
» Drinks that Affect your Teeth
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