Just about everybody wants to love their smile a little more, but not everyone fully understands what that entails. Dentistry is an incredibly complicated field, with many different kinds of oral health conditions that interact with each other, and with the body as a whole, in a wide variety of ways.

That said, there are a few oral health problems that show up often at routine checkups, and that most people are likely to encounter in some form or another. While understanding the entire mouth requires years of study, here are a few of the most common oral health conditions that everyone should know more about.

Like many, you may think February has little going for it. The month, after all, is best known for just two holidays: Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day. Still, there’s more to these twenty-eight days than you’d think. You see, they make up American Heart Month! February, then, is meant to honor heart health, not only ‘hearty’ love. Your local dentist is thus here to help you celebrate. Read on to learn the mouth-heart connection, how gum disease affects it, and oral care tips that strengthen the old chest muscle.