What? Kissing Benefits Oral Health?

We are aware that kissing is an important part in a relationship. Lovers use kissing as a romantic gesture to express their inside feeling to each other. Especially for girls, we can read much information from the first kiss. However, kiss isn’t just for mental expression. It also has internal connections to your physical health, Oral health, for example. There are some things you should know about kissing and your oral health. Will I get disease from kissing? As moms or caretakers of children, you’ve likely heard you shouldn’t share cups, straws or utensils, with your child. That’s true. Saliva is usually exchanged during these situations. And the bacteria may travel back to forth from mouth to mouth, setting up new colonies.   Rightfully so, there are some diseases you can get from kissing including:

• Cold Sores (or Herpes Simplex 1)
• Meningitis
• Mononucleosis
• Gingivitis

In some rare occasions, some sexually transmitted infections/disease could also be transferred during kissing. Overall, sharing germs means you are more likely to share a disease.   Don’t let that stop you from kissing – Benefits of Kissing We don’t mean to scare you of kissing, as kissing does have benefits. What we do is just keeping you away from the disadvantages of kissing. Kissing naturally generates more saliva in the mouth and it’s this very saliva that is nature’s original mouth cleaner! While no substitute for daily brushing and flossing, kissing can help keep support your daily oral care routine. And the benefits of kissing don’t end there. Studies show there are great benefits of kissing including reducing stress, increasing intimacy and increasing general happiness.   How to stay healthy and keep kissing:

• Being aware of your own sores in or around your mouth and eliminated contact with others during that time.
• Getting vaccinated against meningitis and avoid contact with those who have it. Children and teens are the most at risk populations for Meningitis and Mono, so learn and talk about the symptoms, preventative measures and cures.
• Keeping up good oral care habits to reduce bacteria in your mouth that can lead to inflammation and infection.
• Hand washing and washing of infant or child toys or utensils that are shared is a must.
• Not sharing toothbrushes, straws, cups or other items that have had contact with oral bacteria.

Keep a good oral care routine, avoid germs and those with symptoms of illness, and take preventative measures to ensure health so you can enjoy the best things in life, like kissing!