5 Reasons Why Practicing Yoga Is Good for Your Teeth
Who knew yoga is actually dentist-recommended? Yoga improves your flexibility, your mood, and your wellbeing. But what most people don’t realize is that it’s also great for your dental health. Crazy, right? It’s actually not that far-fetched. This guide will show you 5 ways yoga is beneficial for your teeth.
What Is Yoga?
Yoga is a combination of physical, mental, and spiritual practices. It originates from ancient India. There are a lot of different kinds of yoga that focus on different principles. But, they’re all built on a series of movements called asanas.
Today, yoga is a popular form of exercise. It allows you to strengthen your body, and make yourself more flexible. Yoga is also a great way to relieve stress and connect with your body.
5 Reasons to Practice Yoga for Your Teeth
Yoga is a wonderfully therapeutic practice for our bodies. It improves your mental wellbeing, flexibility, circulation, the health of our muscles, joints, and organs. And yoga is even good for your teeth.
If you’ve never tried yoga, perhaps it’s time to start now. Here are the 5 reasons why giving yoga a go promotes healthier teeth and a healthier you.
1. Yoga Reduces Stress
Practicing yoga is a great way to relieve stress. Since a regular yoga session is a combination of a workout and breathing exercises, it makes you refreshed and calm by the time it ends.
But what does stress have to do with dental health?
You Don’t Take Care Of Your Teeth Well Enough if You’re Stressed
You may be surprised that stress and dental health have a lot in common. Stress wears down the body, often leaving us feeling too tired or uninspired to take care of our dental health.
Stress Causes Bruxism
Stressed people also have a tendency to grind their teeth. This is called bruxism. Bruxism is very bad for your dental health, and its side effects can lead to serious issues long term. Your front teeth get worn down if you grind them. If you grind the dentin away, your teeth will become sensitive and painful.
Bruxism can also lead to gum recession, nerve damage, loose teeth, and jaw impairment. So, if a little bit of yoga helps clear your mind and reduce your stress, avoiding grinding your teeth is definitely worth it.
2. Yoga Improves Posture
Having good posture comes with many benefits. It improves your breathing, your core muscles, mood, and self confidence. Holding your body well also promotes better memory, brain function, productivity, and energy.
And having a healthy posture is also great for your teeth. Most people wouldn't think that posture has anything to do with dental health. But studies have shown that posture plays a significant role on the health of our teeth.
How, you ask?
Poor posture affects more than just the spine and neck. It also affects the mouth. When a person slouches or hunches over, the lower jaw shifts forward causing the upper and lower teeth to come out of alignment. The skull also moves back and compresses the spine.
This movement puts stress on the surrounding muscles, joints, and bones. If left untreated, this can create pain and inflammation in the muscles and joints when the mouth opens and closes.
Bad Posture Can Lead to TMD
Bad posture can lead to jaw issues like temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). TMD is a common medical condition that involves some issues with how the upper and lower jaw work together.
Some common side effects include chronic headaches, pain or a clicking sound when opening the jaw. You can also feel the tenderness of the jaw and face. Sometimes, TMD changes your jaw alignment which can result in uneven wear of the teeth or cracked teeth.
Achieve a Balanced Bite By Practicing Yoga
An imbalanced bite causes a ripple effect for the rest of the body. Your bite influences the position of your jaw. How you hold your jaw changes how you hold your head. Then your head affects your balance. Your body will need to structurally compensate for your poor dental alignment.
Other issues, such as the compression of the ear canal which then can cause allergies or drainage issues, may occur as a result. Other forms of poor posture include poorly balanced shoulders which can cause stress on the ribs and the organs underneath.
By improving your posture with yoga, you can take the strain off your jaw. And that can make your whole mouth blissfully happy.
3. Yoga Stimulates Saliva Production
Saliva is a key ingredient for washing away bacteria and food particles. It contains antibacterial enzymes that break down food and make food easier to swallow.
When the salivary glands slow down the production of saliva, bacteria grows easily. That is how you get "morning breath". A dry mouth creates an environment where bacteria can thrive. Chronic dry mouth can then cause plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease.
Practicing yoga stimulates the salivary glands. Yoga poses such as forward bends, twists, and inverted poses are known to increase saliva production.
Try Khechari Mudra to Activate Salivary Glands
A mudra is a gesture or attitude that directs energies in yoga. The Khechari mudra is an exercise that helps activate your salivary glands.
The process involves drawing the tip of the tongue along the roof of the mouth toward the back of the nostrils to the upper throat and then holding that pose with your eyes and mouth closed for as long as you can.
4. Yoga Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation of the gums can be painful. It can also cause other problems such as gum disease and tooth decay. But, inflammation can also spread to the rest of your body, and trigger unique problems in other places.
This is all because of a hormone called cortisol. Your body produces cortisol to fight stress. But, access to this hormone doesn’t make you calmer. Instead, you fall on the other side of the horse. With too much cortisol, you become even more stressed.
Yoga can help your body manage this extra cortisol. Restorative yoga reduces inflammation in the gums, and avoids other oral health problems.
5. Yoga Teaches You How to Breath
Every yoga teacher will tell you that breathing is the basis of practicing yoga. All the movements and poses are carefully coordinated with your breathing. And as so it happens, these breathing exercises also help your teeth.
Proper breathing techniques prevent your mouth and throat from drying out. Which is a great way to keep bacteria out of your mouth.
Yoga breathing exercises can also help curb your cigarette cravings, something your teeth will thank you for if you’re a smoker. It also leads to better sleep at night, and reduced blood pressure, all of which contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
Combine Yoga with a Trip to the Dentist for Healthy Teeth
As amazing and as beneficial as yoga is, it’s no substitute for a dentist. Use dentist-recommended methods and products to keep your teeth clean, and visit your dentist regularly for checkups. Combine yoga with a dentist to truly take care of your teeth.
However, going to the dentist isn’t always the most affordable option. While you can join yoga classes online for free, you’ll have to pay for a procedure at a dentist.
Luckily, with the Carefree Dental Card, you can save a lot of money on your trip to the dentist. Unlock discounts at participating dental providers..
You can sign up to a Carefree Dental Card today, and access the benefits of cheaper dental care instantly!
The Carefree Dental blog is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The text and pictures within the content are intended for information purposes only. Readers should consult with a licensed dentist or healthcare professional before seeking treatment.
The Carefree Dental Card is not insurance and Carefree Dental is not an insurance provider.
