Your Oral Health Is Significantly Connected To Your Overall Health
Your oral health can be a window into your overall health as it offers very solid clues about the state of your body. Just like problems with other bodily systems can affect your oral health, bacteria that affect your gums and teeth can leave the door open for other serious health issues.
How are the Two Connected?
There are thousands of different bacteria in the human mouth; however, most of it is either harmless or doesn’t stay in the mouth long enough to do any damage. With proper oral hygiene including daily rinsing, brushing and flossing, you stand a pretty good chance of having a healthy mouth.
You also need to be careful while taking medications because some of them can reduce the natural production of saliva in your mouth. Some painkillers and antibiotics are really bad in this regard, so when you take them, you need to take extra measures to keep your mouth wet. A dry mouth cannot protect your gums and teeth from bacteria and acids, which in turn can lead to inflammation of the gums and other problems.
Your immune system will try to fight the developing infection by deploying extra measures but while that is happening, other areas of your body are less protected and you may become a target for germs and bacteria causing other diseases.
Oral Care and Health Problems
Poor oral health is a danger to your whole body. Not maintaining a proper diet, and neglecting your oral health may lead to endocarditis, a serious heart infection where bacteria goes to the heart and develops into an infection there. Gum disease has also been linked with cardiovascular disease and even strokes. Most people don’t even know they have gum disease and what it could be doing to their bodies while it goes unnoticed and untreated.
Various studies have shown that periodontitis (severe gum disease) is also dangerous for pregnant women. Women are at increased risk for gum disease because hormones affect the body’s ability to produce sufficient amounts of saliva. Pregnant women with advanced periodontal disease are at an increased risk of giving birth prematurely to low-birth-weight babies. It may also have an effect on the health of the developing baby’s mouth.
It is important to remove and prevent the bacteria from accumulating in the mouth. If you have tender, swollen or bleeding gums, go to a dentist immediately. According to the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), a healthy pregnancy is heavily dependent upon the periodontal health of mother.
If you have any questions about proper oral health care or if you want to book an appointment call Baystate Dental now at or visit any one of our locations.
