At this moment, there’s a 50/50 chance that your mouth is killing you. No, I don’t mean it’s hurting. If you’re in the half of the adult population with some degree of gum disease, you should know research has linked gum disease to cancer and at least four other chronic and potentially fatal diseases.

Maybe your whole life you’ve had strong teeth and a healthy mouth. But when you enter your 50s, you’ll experience changes that need special attention. Here are some proactive steps you can take to keep your mouth healthy as you get older…

There are several culprits that strip the enamel from your teeth. Sugary and starchy junk foods are the worst. But you should know that there are a few health foods that cause some major enamel loss too, and may be ruining your smile and your dental health…

We tend to separate our mouths from our bodies. By that I mean, that we don’t consider the issues that arise in our mouths to have any significant impact on our overall health. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Over the years, you may have heard a thing or two about the dangers of amalgam fillings made with mercury — one of the most toxic substances known to man. So why would you want a mouth full of it?

Your oral health is a good indicator of your overall health and wellbeing. Yet most dentists treat mouths as independent objects, and they rarely give advice or insight into how decisions — other than brushing and flossing — affect you. Luckily, there is a growing number of holistic dentists.

As the relationships between oral health and overall health become more evident, dentists may assume a role more akin to a primary care provider. Especially now that we are learning more about the relationship between plaque on your teeth and cancer survival…

Could improving your dental hygiene reduce your risk for esophageal cancer? Considering that research has tied the bacteria associated with gum disease to cases of throat cancer, it’s definitely worth the extra effort.

Some of the most important tools you can employ to lower your risk of cancer are a toothbrush and dental floss. Use them properly and you may lower your chances of early cancer death by up to 80 percent.