Introduction
Staying healthy is a state of mind as much as it is about taking actions to achieve your
desired goals. For a holistic wellness routine, you must maintain your oral health as much as your physical well-being. While there may be a lot of to-do guides on how to maintain your muscle mass or which exercises to do first, there’s hardly any talk of oral health when it comes to maintaining an active lifestyle.
In today’s article, we’re going to explore a quick guide on keeping your oral health in the best shape while you focus on maintaining an active lifestyle:
Connection Between Active Lifestyle And Oral
Wellness
Believe it or not, there’s a direct connection between your oral health and your physical
health. Poor oral hygiene habits can cause oral diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis,
which in return can contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. And while there are many new fitness trends for 2025, already making rounds, there’s hardly a discussion around the impact of leading an active lifestyle on one’s oral health.
Following a good oral hygiene routine can help you have healthier gums and teeth, a
lowered risk of oral cancer and diabetes, while also giving your face an aesthetic appeal. All of these can contribute to your goals of maintaining a holistic and active lifestyle.
5 Ways To Maintain Your Oral Health
Here are five simple yet effective ways to maintain your oral health while leading an active lifestyle:
Stay Hydrated
There is a close relationship between dehydration and oral hygiene. Whether you forget to drink enough water throughout the day, or you’re taking medications that make your mouth dry, a dry mouth can negatively affect your oral microbiome and cause issues such as cavities, gum diseases, and bad breath.
By drinking 2 to 3 litres of water everyday, you can aid in the saliva production and pH
balance of your mouth helping you have a flawless oral health. Moreover, it contributes to your active lifestyle. Since water is essential for your body, it helps regulate all the organs and offer your body a flushed and glowing look from within.
Eat Mindfully
Eating right can help your body heal and grow from within. Since eating nutritious foods are an important part of a healthy body, eating mindfully can help you keep your oral health in the best condition as well. This not only means taking care of what you eat throughout the day, but also how you consume your food.
For instance, eating rich fibrous vegetables and fruits raw can help naturally scrub and
whiten your teeth while also aiding in optimum saliva production. Apples, celery, and
cucumbers are great examples of this phenomenon.
Another way to be more mindful of what you consume is to drink your sugary drinks like
coffee, and soda once a day rather than having multiple servings of sugary drinks throughout the day. This will reduce the amount of bacteria in your oral microbiome that can convert glucose from the sugar into lactic acid and cause harm to your oral hygiene.
Say No To Tobacco
Tobacco is one of the worst products that you can use for your oral hygiene. Often found in products like cigarettes and cigars, it is known to cause detrimental impact to your oral health through tooth discolouration, gum diseases, bad breath, and even oral cancer when used for long periods of time.
If you’re an active smoker, continuous exposure to tobacco can destroy your oral health and important organs such as lungs. It can also reduce the positive impact of leading a healthy, active lifestyle. If you want to quit smoking or reduce the consumption of tobacco, reach out to a professional doctor or counselor for creating a strategic plan. Prescription drugs like cytisine, champix and zyban are a great way to reduce the nicotine craving and manage the withdrawal symptoms that accompany quitting smoking.
Practice Oral Hygiene
Practicing active oral hygiene in your day to day life, especially if it’s followed in continuum with an active lifestyle can help you save time and effort in the long run. Simple activities such as brushing your teeth twice everyday with a fluoride toothpaste is a great way to practice oral hygiene. You can also add a quality mouthwash to your routine for healthier gums.
Using a soft bristled toothbrush is a great way to be gentle with your teeth and gums. Follow it up by cleaning your toothbrush holder every week to avoid any germs and bacteria on your toothbrush. Last but not least, avoid brushing your teeth immediately after consuming something acidic in nature, as these foods temporarily weaken your enamel, increasing the chance of cavities or tooth decay if you brush your teeth afterwards.
Visit Your Dentist
Visiting your dentist regularly is as important as getting a full-body checkup every year. A detailed health checkup informs you about what you need to do in order to stay healthy, whether it’s eating healthier or exercising more. Similarly, a dentist can help you identify your oral health needs and prescribe appropriate routine and/or medication to help you keep yourself healthy.
Individuals who follow an active lifestyle, may often find themselves caring for their physical looks more than what’s going on in their body internally. Regular dental check-ups help you keep in touch with your oral health and make it easy for you to provide your body with the essential nutrients and care for a bright and healthy smile.
It’s A Wrap
Practicing oral hygiene is an important part of a holistic active lifestyle. Whether you frequent gym, do yoga, walk or jog for an active lifestyle, complementing it with healthy oral habits like eating well, drinking enough water, brushing and flossing properly, paying regular visits to your dentist, and avoiding tobacco or any other substances that harm your oral hygiene is a great way to approach your healthy lifestyle in a holistic way and can help you attain and maintain your goals in the long run.
