Healthy smiles, healthy lives: How oral health affects well-being

Remember when Ross whitened his teeth so much on Friends that they glowed in the dark?

His date wasn’t impressed—and yours won’t be either—but that doesn’t mean you can ignore oral care. Taking care of your pearly whites helps you look good in photos and might even lead to a healthier life. 

More than 25% of adults in Maine haven’t visited a dentist in the last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And a recent legislative report says nearly 20% of children in Maine aged 6 to 9 have untreated tooth decay.

It’s not just your teeth that need looking after. You want to take care of your gums, tongue, lips and cheeks, jaw and the roof of your mouth, too.

The mouth-body connection

Think of your mouth as the gateway to your entire body. A bright smile can help keep you healthy, but poor oral health can contribute to a range of issues, like:

• Heart disease and stroke: Gum disease can cause inflammation in your whole body, raising the risk of heart issues.
  
  
• Diabetes: It’s a two-way street. Gum disease, and the inflammation it causes, can increase blood sugar levels and make diabetes worse. Those high blood sugars can give bacteria an environment to thrive, putting you at risk for gum disease or infections in your mouth.
  
  
• Pregnancy complications: Gum disease has been linked to premature births and low birth weight.
  
  
• Respiratory issues: Bacteria in your mouth can make its way into your lungs, leading to respiratory infections like pneumonia.
  
  
• Mental health: A winning smile can boost self-esteem, while poor oral health can lead to embarrassment and social withdrawal. Even more, painful dental issues can wear on you and affect the quality of your life or increase mental health symptoms.
  
  
  

Taking care of your smile

Like any kind of preventive care, you can do a lot to take care of you. Here are some steps to take:

• Brush twice a day and floss
  
  
• Eat a healthy diet and limit sugary snacks and drinks.
  
  
• Visit a dentist regularly. Try to see a dentist every six months, or at least once a year. Regular check-ups catch issues early and give you bragging rights to say, “No cavities.” Your dentist can help detect oral cancer and prevent complications if you have cancer, figure out why you might have bad breath (halitosis) and help you treat it, protect your teeth from discoloration, and improve your bite and jaw alignment, which could be causing headaches or neck pain.
  
  
  

Finding resources in Maine

Oral health is so important that Community Health Options partners with Northeast Delta Dental to provide dental benefits. Some of our plans offer pediatric dental benefits with a special low deductible (the word “dental” is in the plan name). And companies with more than 50 employees can pay lower premiums when they buy Large Group medical benefits from Community Health Options and dental coverage through NEDD. You can learn more about oral health from NEDD’s website.

You won’t be surprised to learn there’s a shortage of dentists in Maine. While 10 of 16 counties are listed among dental health shortage areas, there are several resources to help you get the care you need:

• Community Dental Clinics: Created at the height of the Spanish Flu in 1918 to provide dental care to children, Community Dental still works to provide comprehensive oral care to Maine families.
  
  
• Cross Cultural Community Services, a 2024 Community Health Options Wellness Grant recipient, addresses disparities to oral health care in Maine for Black, Indigenous and people of color.
  
  
• UMA Dental Health Programs in Bangor, which offers low-cost, self-pay options.
  
  
• Statewide Dental Clinics, listed by county in a recent report from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Specific plan benefits vary, so please check your plan’s schedule of benefits for details. Have a question about Community Health Options or your benefits? Call our Maine-based Member Services team at (855) 624-6463 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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