3 Ways Yoga Benefits Your Smile
Did you know that Americans spend $2.5 Billion on yoga classes each year?
Whether you’ve never set foot into a yoga class or you’re at the front with your yoga mat rolled out, there’s no denying that it’s a popular trend. While many people have heard about some of the health benefits that come from practicing yoga, few people know that there are at least three ways that it helps your oral health as well. Discover how yoga can set your smile up for success by reducing stress, improving posture, and lowering blood pressure.
Yoga – A Brief Overview
Originating in India, yoga is a system of poses that challenge your breathing and flexibility. Different types of yoga include hot yoga which involves training at a high temperature as the name suggests, prenatal yoga, power yoga, and numerous others. The only gear you need for yoga is a mat and some space. Classes are typically separated by type of training and skill level of the participants. Experts at yoga are able to perform complex poses that require great balance and strength.
Yoga and Your Smile – 3 Ways it Helps
With the powerful effects a hard yoga session has on your body, it’s no surprise that it offers oral health advantages as well. The following three advantages subdue dental problems while creating positive conditions for the health of your mouth and jaw.
1. Yoga Reduces Stress, Decreasing Grinding and Bruxism
Stress is the culprit behind countless health problems, and reducing stress is one of the biggest advantages of practicing yoga. Regarding your oral health, stress has the effects of increasing instances of teeth grinding and causing inflammation in the gums. Since both of those actions lead to dental problems, reducing stress is a direct way to prevent them. This makes yoga a healthy way of preventing stress-related conditions in your mouth and gums.
2. Yoga Lowers Blood Pressure Reducing the Need for Medications
With one in every three adults in America having high blood pressure, hypertension has become an epidemic. A side-effect of many of the medications that lower your blood pressure is dry mouth, and dry mouth is a terrible condition for your teeth. While it sounds harmless, dry mouth eliminates your saliva, leaving your mouth dry and defenseless. Without saliva, there’s nothing to wash the debris from your teeth and reduce the plaque build-up. Yoga eliminates the need for medication by lowering your blood pressure in a natural, healthy way.
3. Yoga Improves Posture, Reducing TMJ Concerns
Proper alignment affects everything from your spine to your teeth. Since many Americans have jobs that lead them to hunch over every day at work, this sets them up for spine problems and TMJ issues to occur. Yoga emphasizes the importance of moving in a smooth manner and maintaining a straight, well-aligned posture. Practicing yoga can greatly improve your posture, putting an end to jaw alignment problems you may have developed.
Which Activities that You Do Help Your Smile?
From practicing yoga to chewing xylitol gum, there are many activities that are surprisingly good for your oral health. Conversely, some foods and actions can harm your smile without you even realizing it. Paying attention to the choices you make that are good for your smile can lead you to a lifetime of healthy teeth. When you’re ready for your biannual dental exam, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Streater in Fort Myers or Shell Point Village!