Is Your Oral Health Putting Your Life At Risk?

Dentist Blog

Most people know that not taking care of your oral health can cause pain and even tooth loss. However, sometimes that isn't enough to encourage people to take care of their teeth. You might feel differently if you knew that poor oral health could endanger the health of your entire body. Multiple studies have shown that poor oral health and a variety of diseases and disorders throughout the body seem to be linked. Keep reading to learn more about this phenomenon and how it could affect you.

Diseases Linked To Poor Oral Health

There are a wide variety of illnesses and diseases that seem to share a link with poor oral health. While doctors and scientists haven't been able to say absolutely that one causes the other, the two seem to go hand-in-hand.

These diseases and illnesses include Alzheimer's Disease, heart disease, strokes, respiratory infections, and even a worsening of pre-existing illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Furthermore, poor oral health that causes a loss of teeth has been definitively linked to bone loss in the jaw. Up to 25% of the bone density of the jaw can be lost in just one year after teeth are extracted, increasing the risk of losing more teeth. With this cycle in place, without proper dental care, the risk of developing secondary diseases goes up even higher.

How The Diseases Are Linked

Doctors and scientists believe that gum disease and poor oral health could potentially cause other diseases and illnesses due to bacteria and inflammation.

When you develop severe gum disease, the bacteria responsible for the illness doesn't necessarily stay in your mouth. It can migrate into your bloodstream, where it can travel anywhere in the body. This bacteria can cause damage wherever it goes, including the heart, lungs, and brain.

Furthermore, gum disease causes inflammation throughout the mouth and the rest of the body, too. There is a known link between bodily inflammation and illnesses, so it's possible that this is part of how gum disease and poor oral health cause problems elsewhere.

What To Do

The best thing you can do for your overall health is to simply do a good job of taking care of your oral health. Spending a few minutes every day flossing and brushing your teeth will do a great deal to prevent or reverse gum disease. In addition, make sure that you're visiting your dentist as often as they recommend. Failing to do so can allow plaque to turn into tartar, which can cause gum disease and tooth decay.

If you're already taking steps to improve your overall health, make sure that taking good care of your oral health is added to the list. Talk to a dentist if you need advice on the best ways to prevent gum disease. Visit a site like http://www.2smileabout.com for more help.

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4 September 2017