When you think about your overall health, you likely don’t often think about your dental health as part of the picture. Yet the health of your teeth can have a big impact on the health of your body as a whole and shouldn’t be overlooked. Having healthy teeth is about much more than having a nice smile and you’ll want to make sure that you take good care of your teeth if you want to lower your risk of certain diseases and ensure you live a long and healthy life.

To start with the basics, poor oral health can affect your appearance and self-esteem, leading to a myriad of problems related to depression and lack of confidence such as insomnia and sleep disorders, as well as behavioral and developmental problems in children. Not taking care of your chompers can also affect your ability to chew and digest food properly and getting good nutrition throughout your life is essential to staying healthy and keeping teeth and bones strong.

If you don’t take good care of your teeth and mouth, you could develop a gum disease. These kind of bacterial infections, left untreated, can lead to the loss of teeth and an increased risk of more serious diseases like those of the lungs. Researches have found that the bacteria in plaque can travel from the mouth to the lungs, causing an infection or making an existing lung condition even worse. Additionally, preliminary studies are suggest that pregnant women with poor oral health may be at a higher risk of delivering pre-term, low birth weight babies than women with good oral health.

If that weren’t enough to sway you to take good care of your teeth, researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without. Additional studies have pointed to a relationship between periodontal disease and stroke. While it might seem strange, taking care of your teeth in turn helps you protect your heart, lungs and other parts of the body from the harmful bacteria that can develop in the mouth without proper care and cleaning.

The next time you check out your pearly whites, remember that they mean more to you than just being able to chew your food. Maintaining good dental health is an essential part of keeping your body healthy as a whole and ensuring that you not only have your teeth for a long time to come but the health of your heart and body as well.