Is there a dentist in the home? Greater than 50,000 folks die every year from pneumonia, per the CDC. And failing to go to your dentist ups your danger for the lethal lung situation by 86%, in response to a latest research from Virginia Commonwealth College.

It isn’t unusual for small quantities of saliva and different “oral secretions” to slide down your throat and into your lungs, says Michelle Doll, MD, first writer of the research and an assistant professor of infectious illnesses at VCU. “That is referred to as aspiration,” she explains. 

Usually, aspiration is not a giant deal. But when your saliva is loaded with dangerous micro organism or different pathogens, aspiration may end up in pneumonia, Doll says. (Listed here are 7 stuff you saliva says about your well being.)

Whereas brushing your enamel twice a day is the cornerstone of oral hygiene, these twice-yearly visits to a dentist’s workplace are vital. “Common dental care decreases dental defects the place “unhealthy” micro organism can accumulate in giant portions,” Doll explains. (Wish to decide up some more healthy habits? Signal as much as get wholesome dwelling suggestions and extra delivered straight to your inbox!)

No matter how completely you sweep, you may’t take away plaque—a tough substance that slowly accumulates in your enamel, says Timothy Kosinski, DDS, a spokesperson for the Academy of Common Dentistry. To take away plaque—and stop the decay and illness it causes—you want a dentist’s assist, he says. (That is what your dentist is doing when she or he scrapes your enamel with that little hook-shaped device.)

MORE: 7 Issues You Want To Know About Your Tooth As You Age

Dodging pneumonia is not the one purpose to schedule a dental examination. A latest research within the Journal of Dental Analysis linked poor oral hygiene to coronary heart illness. Bacterial infections in your mouth can promote systemic irritation. That irritation may cause the build-up of plaque in your arteries, which in flip might result in a coronary heart assault or stroke, consultants warn. 

Dry mouth promotes bacterial progress and dental illness. Meaning folks affected by dry mouth have to be further cautious. Additionally, older adults—particularly those that wrestle to take correct care of their enamel—are at larger danger for pneumonia, Doll says. 

So name your dentist and schedule an appointment ASAP. Additionally, reduce on sweets. Sugar will increase the quantity of micro organism in your mouth—and so ups your danger for illness and decay, Kosinski says.