Can Oral Health Impact overall Health?

There is that question of the connection between oral health, and your general health. It’s obvious, but oral health has a much greater impact on your general health than you’d think. Taking care of the teeth not only makes your smile beautiful, but it can impact the whole body. If you neglect this, you’re setting yourself up for real problems later on.

Now, her’s the connection. Our mouths are loaded with bacteria. Most of the bacteria, however, is completely harmless. Flossing and brushing are important because it will keep the bacteria under control, and when you have a lack of oral care, that’s where the problems occur. Bacteria in your mouth start to grow, and from there, that combined with the sugary from your foods will make acids, which attack your teeth, creating cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, and periodontitis, which leads to infections within the rest of the body. So there is a connection, and it can lead to a lot of trouble.

Heart disease, especially strokes and heart attacks, actually can be caused by the plaque on your teeth. Cholesterol starts to build up, and it along with oral plaque can lead to blocked arteries too. That’s because, the plaque gets into the bloodstream, and it’s then lodged in the artery within the heart, which leads to a hear attack or a stroke in the process.

Endocarditis is another one, and that happens when colonies of the bacteria build up within the mouth, it can cause gingivitis, which causes the gums to bleed, and the bacteria then moves to the bloodstream, traveling to other bodily areas, eventually the heart, and that can cause endocarditis, which is an infection of the lining of the heart chambers or the valve.

Diabetes is another one. The periodontitis is a serious dental problem where the gums are so inflamed they pull away, and then, they get invected. If you already have diabetes, it makes it hard for the body to absorb insulin to lower the blood sugar, and having high blood sugar causes mouth infections and inflammation, which is why, if you have diabetes, you need to make sure that your teeth are healthy.

Then, there is pneumonia, which happens when you have air flowing through the lungs. If there are a large amount o bad bacteria within the mouth, the bacteria will then be found in the lungs, and that cause pneumonia, along with respiratory problems. Elderly people, in particular, should make sure to take care of everything that they have, especially their dentures since this can become life-threatening for older people.

Oral health can affect pretty much anything, and even periodontitis has been found to put babies at the risk of being born with a low birth rate, or immaturely, and having good health during pregnancy is very important, so you should make sure that you do take care of your teeth, have the correct dental care in mind, see your dentist as needed.