NEW DELHI: When your teeth and gums are in good condition, you might not even notice their impact on your day-to-day life. Good oral health helps us chew, taste, swallow, speak and convey emotions.

This means the state of your mouth can affect nutrition, confidence, forming relationships and maintaining overall good health and wellbeing.

People who have missing or damaged teeth, or other oral health issues such as gum disease, know this all too well.

They may not only live with pain that affects their sleep, speech and ability to enjoy certain foods, but often also face discrimination and stigma.

So, why is it so shameful to have missing teeth or gum disease? And what can we do about it?

The social and psychological impact

Oral health is deeply tied to social status. People who don’

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