When I was a small kid, my late mother, Allahyarhamah Hajah Aminah binti Mat Desa (Al-fatihah (read), May her soul rest in peace) who died at the ripe age of 93 years old on 25 June, 2023, had always cautioned me and my siblings that “The importance of dental care, it lets us: speak clearly, taste, chew, and swallow delicious & nutritious foods; show our feelings through facial expressions when smiling. If we protect our oral health with good oral hygiene brushing teeth, the odds are in our favor we can keep our teeth for a lifetime.” Evidently, she maintained 20 natural, functional teeth by the time of demise.
I realized oral health refers to health of the teeth, gums, and entire oral-facial system. Based on my own personal experience, I agree oral health allows us to eat, speak, smile, and show emotions. Poor oral health can lead to severe pain, poor work performance, productivity losses, and lowered quality of life. I regret for being notorious during my childhood & teenage times and not taking real good care of my mouth, teeth, and gum as per my late mother's advice.
I visited dentist only when the pain was unbearable. This is because the mouth has direct access to my digestive and respiratory tracts. When bacteria - which live all over me, including in my mouth make it into my body, it can cause problems. I know while bacteria are harmless, some of can cause disease.
Last weekend, I followed my wife, Zarina for her routine dental care check at Klinik Pergigian Alfa, Cyberjaya. We were courteously attended by a young friendly Dr. Fatin and her committed team who works hard with the aim to relieve our dental pain and brighten our smile. She said, “By understanding the relationship between your oral health and your overall health, you can take steps toward a healthier person. Do not put other parts of your body at risk."
Zulkifly Baharom (hajizul50@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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