You need to floss carefully after lunch or dinner, but this habit is often forgotten. Did you know? In this small, neglected area, a silent battle for health is being waged. Recently, scientists have discovered that seemingly insignificant daily habits, such as regular brushing and flossing, are not only the guardians of the mouth but also an invisible shield against head and neck cancer.
Carl is a young man who has a busy day at work, often working late into the night. Breakfast is often a mouthful of bread in a hurry, and dinner is a takeaway solution. As for dental cleaning after meals, it is even less likely to be remembered, and he never even brushes and flosses his teeth after meals. It wasn't until one day when Carl stumbled across his red, swollen and occasionally bleeding gums in front of the mirror that he realised his neglect of his oral health had been a hidden problem. Fortunately, he began to re-examine his habits in time. Every morning and evening, he brushes his teeth carefully, wrapping each tooth in a sea of foam, as if giving them a gentle cleansing. After meals, he was no longer lazy, but patiently flossed between his teeth to clean up those ‘unwanted guests’ hiding in the crevices. After a few months, Carl found that his oral condition had improved significantly, not only the gums were healthy again, but even his breath became fresh. More importantly, he realised that these seemingly insignificant changes were building a solid defence for his health. He began to understand that the prevention of such a seemingly distant disease as head and neck cancer is hidden in the little things in his daily life. Carl's story reminds us that no matter how busy our lives are, our oral health is more than just a guardian of the rest of our body against disease.
The subtle link between oral health and systemic health is like an invisible bond, closely connected and inseparable. The oral cavity, a paradise of daily encounters with food, also harbours little secrets of health. Among them, the gums, the gentle guardian, once suffered the relentless attack of the army of bacteria, will light up the red light, sending out a distress signal. Those lurking between the teeth of the ‘uninvited guests’ - excess bacteria, not only arrogantly provoked the gums of the line of defence, causing it to become fragile and sensitive, but gently touched the blood flow such as a thin line, the red and swollen face as if to tell a silent protest, the pain is like a fine needle tip, from time to time, piercing the sensitive nerves. But this is far from being the full extent of their ‘masterpieces’. The more insidious and far-reaching effect is that these bacterial storms, which seem to concern only one part of the mouth, are actually like the first dominoes, which, when gently pushed, can trigger a chain reaction in other areas of the body. They quietly become diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases behind the ‘behind the scenes’, as if a silent ‘health revolution’, in the human body slowly opened the curtain.
Brushing and Flossing: The First Line of Defence Against Head and Neck Cancer
Oral health has been given an even brighter role, not only as a guardian of smiles but also as a sturdy shield against head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancer once considered a shadow of old age, is now creeping up on young people, its silent footsteps sending chills down the spine. It is like an undercurrent lurking in the body. In the early stage, it may just brush by gently and is not easy to notice, but once it erupts, it is a huge wave in the boat of life.
Sore throat, earache, difficulty in swallowing - these symptoms are not only torturous, but the factors behind them can be intimidating. Even more haunting are the voice changes, that once familiar and dear melody becoming hoarse or strange, and the unintended bulge in the neck, which are the cold footprints left by head and neck cancer, announcing the arrival of the disease. Regular brushing and flossing, two seemingly insignificant habits, are warriors in guarding oral health. They are like brave cleaners, travelling through the jungles and crevices of the teeth, removing hidden bacteria and food debris, and building an impenetrable defence for the mouth. Flossing is a precise strike in those crevices, ensuring that every hidden corner is thoroughly cleaned.
