“Three, two, one, smile!” As if I were trained, on cue, my lips shifted into a tight-lipped smile, ensuring not to let any of my crooked teeth show. The camera flash clicks off. Every school year’s picture day was a ritual– a fake smile, followed by a quiet sigh of relief once I knew that my teeth were masked away.

I was born with a wide tooth gap in between my two front teeth, both of which severely flared out. Furthermore, two of my baby teeth were fused together, so only one adult tooth came in, leaving another prominent gap in my smile. Due to all of these issues, I was left with a mouth filled with teeth that were crooked and uneven. As I grew older, this insecurity only deepened, leading me to hate smiling, speaking, or even laughing in front of others. Eventually, I began a series of metal retainers and Invisalign sets. However, it still took years before I became confident in my smile, but when I did, what started as a cosmetic fix eventually uplifted every part of my life—my confidence, my ability to speak comfortably, and my overall sense of well-being. Beyond this, proper alignment of my teeth now helps to prevent plaque buildup (American Association of Orthodontists, What Makes Me Smile) and gum inflammation (Invisalign, Straight teeth are healthier teeth).

Yet, not every person has the access to critical resources or the proper education to care for their oral health, which can lead to severe and irreversible negative effects on their teeth, self-esteem, and livelihood. I have seen this firsthand with my grandparents, who escaped from Vietnam in 1979. Risking their lives and all their possessions, they drifted across the sea, eventually washing ashore in Malaysia. Forced to stay in refugee camps for months before coming to Canada, with inadequate resources to reach proper dental care, their oral health worsened. Furthermore, back in Vietnam, oral health was often disregarded. Access to floss was difficult, and brushing teeth wasn’t a fundamental norm.

Despite receiving sporadic dental care later on in Canada, it was too late. My grandparents now both live with the consequences. More recently, after years of improper oral health, my grandmother’s rotting teeth had to be pulled out, leaving her with only six bottom teeth. She currently suffers from infected, inflamed, and receding gums. Moreover, in preparation for dentures, her bones need to be grinded down. A sunken-in face represents where her top teeth once were. Her diet is restricted solely to soft foods, which she needs to mash against the roof of her mouth with her tongue. Not only is eating difficult, but she often feels embarrassed to go out without a mask, heightening her social isolation and lowering her self-esteem.

My dental journey and my grandmother’s oral health story are a living testament to why oral health at all ages is crucial, reaching far beyond just teeth. A lack of oral health can cause infections and diseases, which in turn affect nutrition and physical health (Mayo Clinic, Oral Health: A window to your overall health). Even facial structure and confidence are heavily influenced by the condition of one’s teeth (NIH, Effect of Oral Health on the Community, Overall Well-Being, and the Economy). When oral health is neglected or ignored, what begins as minor dental problems can escalate into serious issues such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and tooth loss (Mayo Clinic, Oral Health: A window to your overall health).

This is why I believe in the importance of oral health and its accessibility to everyone, because a healthy smile can transform much more than just a face, it can restore confidence, prevent life-threatening diseases, and empower individuals to live their lives fully.

Oral health is often treated as an isolated part of self-care, something to keep in check with brushing, flossing, and an occasional dentist check-up, to tell you to floss more. But in reality, it’s a much larger part of our overall health than most people realize, both biologically and emotionally. Biologically, the mouth is an entry point to our bodies, and when not properly cared for, the effects aren’t confined solely to our teeth or gums.

Strong scientific evidence and several studies link oral health to a number of systemic conditions. For example, bacteria that originate from gum disease can enter the bloodstream and contribute to heart disease, worsen diabetes, or even spread and cause infection in other parts of the body, such as the heart lining (endocarditis). There’s also evidence that connects gum disease to pneumonia, since bacteria from the mouth can be directly inhaled into the lungs. These smaller problems that are generally believed to exist only in the mouth can, over time, contribute to much larger and systemic problems. I personally found it fascinating how closely connected everything within our bodies is, such as how the health of your mouth, which is generally thought of as separate from the rest of the body, can greatly influence the health of your heart, lungs, and immune system as a whole.

But oral health isn’t just biology, or about preventing disease; it also affects our personal image and how we interact with others. A smile truly is often the first thing people notice, and if someone feels self-conscious about their teeth or smile, it can hold them back from talking with others, going out, or even just how they feel about themselves when they look in a mirror. I’ve felt this firsthand at times, avoiding fully smiling for a photo, worrying after smiling in the mirror about the colour or shape of my teeth, it isn’t really just about vanity, but about self-confidence. And on the contrary, good oral health gives people the freedom and confidence to express themselves fully, without discomfort or embarrassment.

Oral health matters because it represents an intersection of biology and daily life. It affects how we feel physically, as a vulnerable entry into the body that’s deeply interconnected throughout our systems, but also emotionally in how we connect with others, and feel about ourselves long-term. It affects our overall health, our confidence, and our ability to be comfortable within our bodies and the more we come to understand that, the more likely we are to treat it as the priority it deserves to be.