Pg. 4 2026-27 Health & Wellness Magazine Lincoln Daily News Dental Wellness When people think about health and wellness, they may not always think about their teeth. The phrase, “I have to go to the doctor,’ is more commonly associated with the health of parts of your body besides the mouth. This being the case, dentists are doctors and the mouth is a very important part of the body when it comes to a person’s overall health. People use their mouths a lot more than they might realize. There is the most obvious use of eating and drinking, but it goes beyond that. Talking is one of the most common uses for the mouth, as is breathing. When one considers the phrase ‘health and wellness,’ it is easy to inadvertently overlook dental health and wellness. William Todd Walker, DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry) of Lincoln says that the mouth is “an easy part of the body to keep healthy.” Dr. Walker stated that one of the reasons that keeping your mouth healthy is so important is eating. He states that “having a healthy smile allows you to smile at the world.” However, this is not the only reason to keep your mouth and smile healthy, according to Dr. Walker. “Poor dental health is linked to cardiovascular disease and chronic inflammation,” Dr. Walker explained. “Good oral hygiene supports systemic health. It is not just cavities.” According to an article published by the American Academy for Oral and Systemic Health (AAOSH), a 501(c)(3) composed of doctors and dentists, there are many diseases that can be linked back to poor dental hygiene. This article, which cites information from several studies published in various medical journals, corroborates Dr. Walker’s statement, with its first disease being cardiovascular disease. This article states that periodontal disease, or diseases of the tissue surrounding teeth, “is directly linked to artery inflammation.” It goes on to say that bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream, causing arteries to harden. This can then lead to a heart attack or stroke. Another disease the AAOSH’s article links to poor dental hygiene is Alzheimer’s disease. The article states that oral bacteria has been the subject of some studies on Alzheimer’s disease, with correlations being found. According to the article, the presence of these bacteria, called spirochetes, is “significantly higher in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.”
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