It might come as a surprise to most people but the condition of your mouth can influence your body’s over-all health or state. It matters to possess a clean and great smile, but apart from the aesthetics, it matters to take care of your mouth as it also reflects your body’s health.
The following are examples of health conditions that are closely linked to your oral and dental health.
Oral Health and Diabetes. The incidents of periodontitis or gum disease on patients with type 2 diabetes have increased that doctors started to study their connection. Study showed people who were non-diabetic but with more bacteria are more at risk of developing diabetes than those with a lesser number of periodontitis-causing bacteria. Researchers are yet to conclude that gum disease can be the cause of type2 diabetes. More experiments and studies are needed to further support this claim but they have clues as to why this happen. One of the studies proposed that infections of the mouth that are severe, like periodontitis, tend to lead to inflammation throughout the body. In the case of gum diseases, the inflammation can lead to weakening or disrupting your body’s ability to process sugar.
Oral Health and Heart Disease. Like mentioned earlier, diabetes and poor oral health are also pointed out as one of the causes of cardiovascular conditions. Patients who experience gum disease or oral health conditions often have diabetes and cardiovascular disease at the same time. These health problems are often found on patients together. There are still no concrete evidences if there is in fact a direct relationship between them. Studies show that there are certain risk factors on having heart conditions. Smoking and old age are leading risk factors which both lead to gum disease that also cause heart disease. Doctors have also considered that the bacteria from oral infections such as gum disease can enter the bloodstream when you chew. The bacteria can stick on to blood vessels and create blockages on the blood stream. This makes it very important to make aggressive efforts in treating periodontal disease.
Pneumonia and Gum Disease. People with high risks of pneumonia are also warned about poor oral health habits. This is because the mouth is close to your lungs and the bacteria on unhealthy mouths can get aspirated into the lungs which can lead to pneumonia. One way of avoiding respiratory infections is to improve one’s oral and dental health.
The true importance of dental and oral hygiene goes far beyond having pearly whites and smiles. Your oral health can directly affect the fate of the rest of your organs. It also reflects the over-all health of a person. Be sure to visit your dentist to address any signs of gum disease and oral health problems. This helps you save time and medical cost in the future and always remember to follow your dental care regimen.