We all know that exercise is good for us. It helps us maintain healthy blood pressure levels, healthy weight and can be a mood booster and stress reliever. In addition to these benefits, exercise can affect your oral health in a number of other ways.
Let’s look at some of the benefits that exercising has on your oral health.
Helps reduce risk of gum disease
Several studies have shown that there is a link between exercise and a lower risk of gum disease. The study found that those who exercised and did not smoke were 54% less likely to develop gum disease. Even moderate amounts of exercise had a benefit of reducing the likelihood of developing gum disease by 33%.
Exercise helps prevent diseases that contribute to poor oral health
Exercise has been proven to help reduce the risk of other diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. These illnesses adversely affect oral health, and by exercising regularly you are not only keeping these diseases at bay, but also helping to maintain good oral health. Researchers have found that those who exercised, followed a healthy diet and maintained a healthy BMI, were 41% less likely to develop periodontitis.
Breathe through your nose
When you exercise, it is important to breathe through your nose. SynergyOMS a leading office in Beverly Hills recommends breathing through your nose to increase the lung’s oxygen absorption capacity. How does this benefit your oral health? When you breathe through your nose, your mouth is closed. This helps to protect your teeth when exercising and it helps to prevent your mouth from drying out.
Things to be mindful of when working out
When you exercise, be careful what you hydrate with. Yes, it is important to replenish, but be mindful of sugars. Sports drinks are notorious for containing added sugars. Consuming these drinks often leads to the sugar staying on your teeth and that can lead to decay. The same thing applies to drinking chocolate milk or a protein type shake for recovery. If it all possible, drinking water is your best option. Water does not have calories or sugar and in fact, our bodies are mostly water so it makes good sense to replenish with water.
You should also consider being mindful of the snacks you eat for energy when exercising. It is true that fruits such as oranges are healthy, but they also have sugar. The same can be said for nutrition bars. Cheese is a good snack to have and it is not as harmful to your teeth like some other options.
Protect your teeth
If you enjoy sports such as kickboxing, soccer, basketball, lacrosse or racquetball (to name a few), make sure you protect your mouth. It is very important to wear a properly fitting mouthguard. Accidents happen very quickly and you want to be sure that your smile is protected.
Final Thoughts
Exercising regularly has so many benefits. It helps us to maintain a healthy weight and BMI, it helps us to lower blood pressure and exercising helps to reduce stress. In addition, exercise helps prevent diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, which can affect oral health. People who exercise regularly are also much less likely to suffer from gum disease. Clearly, exercising has a multitude of benefits for all.
In order to get the most oral health benefits from exercising, there are a few things to remember.
- Be careful what you use to hydrate during and after a workout. Sports drinks and chocolate milk are full of sugar that will remain on your teeth.
- Consider what snacks you eat to recover after a workout. Certain fruits and nutrition bars can have a lot of sugar in them.
- Protect your smile. Wear a mouthguard at all times. Your smile is important and accidents can happen quickly.
- Drink water! Water is a perfect way to stay hydrated without worrying about calories or sugar.
And of course, remember to brush and floss twice a day. Be sure to visit your dentist regularly so that they can keep your smile clean and bright.
