Brushing and flossing your teeth helps prevent heart disease and diabetes and can help pregnant women avoid low-birth weight babies, a doctor and author says.

Dr. Helaine Smith said in a news release that the scientific community is starting to see the connection between oral hygiene and whole-body health.

"Despite this better understanding, many patients were coming into my office with questions about the new findings. For example, research has proven that untreated periodontal disease can cause low birth-weight babies and even miscarriages -- yet women still do not know they should visit a dentist before getting pregnant," she said.

Smith provides tips and videos about oral health, as well as an e-book, on her Web site.

She also wrote the e-book "Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex."