When you think of the benefits of yoga, dental health might not be the first thing that springs to your mind, but the truth is that there are a number of different benefits to your oral and dental health if you enjoy yoga. Some of these benefits are due to the fact that your stress levels can be reduced by yoga. Stress is terrible for your teeth and mouth!

How Can Yoga Contribute To Your Dental Health?

Let’s dive into some of the ways that yoga can contribute to your dental health and leave you with a better set of teeth in the long run.

Yoga Reduces Stress

Stress can play a big part in your dental health. Those who suffer from stress and anxiety may suffer from jaw clenching and bruxism, which is when you grind your teeth, sometimes during sleep.

Yoga has been shown to reduce stress levels even if you are just practicing it for a short period every day. This makes it less likely that you will grind your teeth and therefore less likely that you will end up with serious dental issues as a result of teeth grinding. Stress can also lead to making bad decisions such as smoking which is bad for teeth.

Yoga Promotes Better Posture

Another thing that may cause bruxism is poor posture. Bad posture is linked with a lot of different health problems but you may not have realised that it could impact on your health in such a way. 

Having poor posture can also lead to problems with jaw alignment and cause pressure in your jaw and around your mouth, and this means that you may end up with dental issues you hadn’t accounted for. 

We know that so many yoga positions are built to stretch the body and provide better posture, and practicing yoga can have long-lasting benefits and impacts on the way you stand and sit.

Yoga Boosts Saliva Production

Have you ever been doing yoga and noticed that you have more saliva in your mouth? This is one way that doing yoga can help, it stops your mouth from getting too dry, and saliva plays a really crucial role including washing away debris from food that could cause decay in your mouth. Saliva is great for dental care.

Some people with allergies or a certain type of illness may also find it difficult to produce enough saliva so this can be particularly helpful. Poses like forward bends are great for helping to moisten the mouth up and help you to improve your dental health in the process.

Yoga Lowers Inflammation

Inflammation can spell big problems with your dental health. If your gums get inflamed then it can also lead to tooth decay and trigger problems elsewhere in the body. There are a few possible causes for inflammation but one of these is stress. Cortisol is released when you are stressed, and if this happens regularly then it can make you anxious and increase inflammation (even though in moderation its job is to try and calm you). 

This means people need another way to tackle their stress levels and we know that yoga can be perfect for this. Inflammation is a big problem for your dental health but it can also be a big issue for other parts of your body and reducing it is almost welcome.

Yoga Teaches You How To Breathe

The correct way of breathing is crucial for your dental and oral health. If you breathe too much through your mouth then saliva dries and your mouth doesn’t have the sort of moist ecosystem it needs to be healthy. 

This means that plaque can build up without being looked after by saliva and that you have a bigger risk of a variety of different dental conditions including chronic bad breath and gum disease, as well as the potential to even lose your teeth in the long run.

Correct breathing techniques is a big part of yoga and this can help with many different aspects of your life and your health, including benefits you might not have initially considered such as protecting your teeth for years to come.