Saunas and Dental Health: Can Heat Therapy Improve Oral Hygiene?

Sauna therapy is becoming a popular treatment in dental health due to its many health benefits, such as relaxation, detoxification, and enhanced circulation. But did you know that saunas can positively impact dental health? Let’s discuss how sauna therapy can benefit gums and teeth and improve oral hygiene and overall wellness.

Understanding Oral Hygiene and Its Importance

Oral hygiene is the practice of ensuring that your mouth is clean and free of disease. It involves flossing, brushing your teeth, and visiting the dentist regularly for oral exams, teeth cleaning, and dental X-rays. Proper oral hygiene can help you stop problems like bad breath, gum disease, and cavities before they affect your gums and teeth. 

Oral health is also associated with overall health. An infection in your mouth can travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream, resulting in other health complications such as stroke and heart disease. Maintaining proper teeth and gum health is crucial to lifelong overall health. 

Some conditions are linked to oral health, such as pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy complications. Conversely, some health conditions can negatively impact your teeth and gums, such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. If you or your loved ones suffer from these conditions, ask your healthcare provider to recommend proper oral hygiene practices to promote overall health. Common signs of poor oral hygiene include:

• Loose teeth
• Tooth decay
• Bleeding gums
• Toothache
• Chronic halitosis (bad breath)
• Gum recession
• Swelling in the jaw
• Gingivostomatitis
• Mouth sores

What are the Benefits of Saunas for Dental Health?

Sauna therapy offers numerous benefits specific to dental health. These include:

·       Gum Disease Treatment and Prevention

Sauna therapy promotes dental health by improving blood flow and detoxification, which is vital for healthy gums. Sauna bathing helps reduce inflammation, keeping your gums healthy and easing the severity of gum diseases like periodontitis and gingivitis. 

·       Pain Management

Saunas are non-invasive tools for managing dental pain. The heat from saunas can help relax the jaw muscles. Further, saunas can come in handy after dental procedures or surgeries. They accelerate recovery and provide a holistic approach to dental health. 

·       Enhances Oral Hygiene

The heat and dry environment of saunas creates a hostile environment where bacteria can thrive. So, regular home sauna sessions can reduce bacteria in the mouth, reduce the risk of infections, and support a more hygienic oral environment. 

Understanding the Link Between Sauna Therapy and Dental Health

The core focus of sauna therapy has been on holistic and general wellness. However, many people are fast discovering the connection between saunas and dental health. These include:

·       Promoting Circulation and Healing

During your sauna session, your heart rate increases while your blood vessels widen. This increases circulation and facilitates the transportation of essential nutrients and oxygen to various parts of the body, including the gums and teeth. Sufficient oxygen and blood flow in affected gums and promote healing. 

Oxygen facilitates the growth of new capillaries and collagen formation, controlling infection in the mouth. Enhanced circulation can also speed up healing in people recovering from dental surgery and other procedures. Improved blood flow reduces post-dental procedure inflammation and aids tissue repair, easing recovery. 

·       Pain Relief

For people suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) and other jaw-related pain, getting regular sauna sessions can provide significant relief. The heat helps reduce inflammation, relax the jaw muscles, and alleviate pain. Sauna therapy can facilitate the management of extreme jaw pain and improve overall quality of life. 

Incorporating Saunas into Your Dental Routine

Including sauna therapy in your dental health routine helps improve oral hygiene and overall well-being. Complement saunas with proper oral hygiene practices like:

·       Brushing Your Teeth

Removing dental plaque, a colorless, sticky film of bacteria, helps keep teeth healthy. Plaque accumulation can cause gum disease and tooth decay. If your teeth have fillings, they could be at risk of tooth decay. Plaque can accumulate underneath a chipped filling, resulting in decay. Here are tooth-brushing tips:

• Brush with fluoride toothpaste: Fluoride strengthens the enamel, protecting the teeth from decay. 
• Brush all sides of every tooth
• Slant the bristles towards your gumline to clean between the teeth and gums.
• Brush the tongue
• Brush gently with small and circular motions. Avoid scrubbing back and forth
• Replace your toothbrush when the bristles wear out

Clean Between the Teeth

Cleaning between the teeth is a good oral hygiene practice that helps remove plaque. When plaque accumulates in your teeth, it can stiffen below the gum line, irritating the gums. The gums become swollen and red and could bleed easily, which are signs of gingivitis. You can reverse gingivitis occurring from plaque accumulation by daily flossing and brushing.

If plaque remains in your teeth long, it hardens and becomes tartar. To remove tartar, you must visit a dental hygienist or dentist for teeth cleaning. Floss to remove food particles and plaque from between your teeth. Other oral hygiene practices include:

• Visit your dentist for professional cleaning and routine check-ups
• Avoid smoking. Smoking increases the risk of gum disease.
• Drink water with the right amount of fluoride to protect your teeth throughout the day. 
• Go for a dental check-up if you’re planning to get pregnant. Pregnant women are likely to develop gingivitis and experience swollen gums that bleed easily due to hormonal changes. Practice proper oral hygiene during pregnancy to maintain healthy teeth and gums
• Consume a well-balanced diet and avoid sugary drinks and sweets

Get Regular Sauna Sessions

Visit the sauna consistently to enjoy the optimal dental health benefits of sauna therapy. Strive for three to four sessions every week to maintain reduced inflammation, improved circulation, and maximal detoxification. Using the sauna regularly improves your dental and overall health. 

·       Drink Adequate Water

Drinking enough water before and after your sauna session keeps you hydrated and helps flush out toxins. Proper hydration aids the body’s ability to cope with increased temperatures and sweating without getting dehydrated. 

·       Consult Your Dentist

Consult your dentist before incorporating outdoor saunas into your dental health routine, especially if you have existing chronic dental health issues. Your dentist will help you establish a personalized and safe dental health management approach, including sauna therapy. 

Understanding the Effects of Poor Oral Hygiene

The effects of poor oral hygiene can surpass the mouth. The gums, or the gingival, are vital for your overall health. Gum disease is linked to various systemic health conditions such as:

·       Heart Disease

The bacteria from gum disease can penetrate your bloodstream, depositing plaque on the borders of your arteries. This condition, known as atherosclerosis, causes narrowed arteries, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack. Plaque bacteria can also cause endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart’s inner lining, also known as endocardium. 

·       Dementia

Gingivitis bacteria can penetrate the brain, causing inflammation and damaging the neurons. This can be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. 

·       Respiratory Infections

Inhaling harmful bacteria from infected gums and teeth for a long time can cause lung infections, also known as pneumonia. 

·       Diabetic Complications

People living with diabetes are at a high risk of periodontal disease. This disease can cause difficulties in controlling blood sugar and worsen diabetes. 

·       Respiratory Complications

Poor dental health may increase the risk of respiratory complications. Bacteria in the mouth could travel via the bloodstream or be inhaled into the lungs, causing respiratory complications. Work with your dentist to reduce the risk of respiratory infection from poor dental hygiene. 

·       Rheumatoid Arthritis

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University studies the connection between rheumatoid arthritis and oral health. Results suggest a link between Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a bacterium, and periodontal disease. People with periodontal disease had the same inflammatory response as those with rheumatoid arthritis.

Finally

Saunas can help alleviate the symptoms of dental issues, promoting oral hygiene. However, they should not be used to replace dental health practices. Use sauna therapy as a complement to proper dental care practices. Consult your dentist before incorporating saunas into your dental health management routine.