What Your Teeth & Gums Say About Your Health
IF EYES ARE THE WINDOW TO YOUR SOUL, THEN TEETH ARE THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH
Most people think that the worst possible consequence of neglecting oral health is having to suffer through painful and expensive dental treatment. Most people wrongly assume that the effects of poor dental hygiene are limited to your mouth. This could not be further from the truth!!
There's mounting evidence connecting common oral health problems like gum disease to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis and the state of your general health. The importance of maintaning excellent dental health cannot be over stated.
For instance, gum disease is being increasingly linked to a large number of health problems. Gum disease is nothing, but infection caused by bacteria that accumulates in pockets between your gums and teeth. The simple act of brushing your teeth can push these bacteria into your blood stream, through which they are transferred to other organs. The bacteria settle in these organs, and trigger off new infections.
Dental Health and Diabetes
Many times, a person is not even aware he has diabetes until his dentist advises him to get his blood sugar levels checked. Patients who suffer from consistent oral abscesses may have a blood sugar problem that they are not even aware of. So, when a dentist notices these abscesses, it might indicate that the patient needs to take a diabetes detection test if he hasn’t already taken one.
Gum diseases in diabetics can get very difficult to control. That is because these people have difficulty handling infections of any kind. Infections increase blood sugar, and it can be a vicious cycle where the diabetes causes the gum disease, and the gum disease in turn, impacts the diabetes. A person who has difficulty controlling his blood sugar levels can find it hard to treat gum disease. In fact, taking care of your teeth with the help of regular visits to a dentist, is a part of good diabetes care program. Also, people who are highly at risk for diabetes, but have not yet developed the disease can find that gum disease can accelerate the onset of diabetes.
Dental Health and Cardiac Health
People who suffer from chronic periodontal disease have a risk of coronary artery disease that’s twice as high as people who have no history of periodontal disease. There is still not enough evidence to prove this conclusively, and there are other factors like the person’s weight, genetics and lifestyle that can impact the development of heart problems, more than periodontal disease. According to proponents of the theory, bacteria from the mouth can attach themselves to plaque formations in coronary arteries, thereby contributing to the development of clots in the arteries.
Dental Health and Birth Issues
Gum and dental infections can trigger off premature delivery in pregnant women, and also result in the birth of babies with low birth weight. Some research studies have found a link between chronic and severe periodontal disease in a pregnant woman, and a high risk of premature delivery. Studies have also linked the treatment of gum disease in pregnant women to a reduced risk of premature birth.
Dental Health and Osteoporosis
The connection between dental health and osteoporosis is easier to understand because osteoporosis is caused by the same loss of bone density that is also responsible for weak and unhealthy teeth. Studies suggest a link between weak and unstable teeth, and the development of osteoporosis.
Most people think that the worst possible consequence of neglecting oral health is having to suffer through painful and expensive dental treatment. Most people wrongly assume that the effects of poor dental hygiene are limited to your mouth. This could not be further from the truth!!
There's mounting evidence connecting common oral health problems like gum disease to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis and the state of your general health. The importance of maintaning excellent dental health cannot be over stated.
For instance, gum disease is being increasingly linked to a large number of health problems. Gum disease is nothing, but infection caused by bacteria that accumulates in pockets between your gums and teeth. The simple act of brushing your teeth can push these bacteria into your blood stream, through which they are transferred to other organs. The bacteria settle in these organs, and trigger off new infections.
Dental Health and Diabetes
Many times, a person is not even aware he has diabetes until his dentist advises him to get his blood sugar levels checked. Patients who suffer from consistent oral abscesses may have a blood sugar problem that they are not even aware of. So, when a dentist notices these abscesses, it might indicate that the patient needs to take a diabetes detection test if he hasn’t already taken one.
Gum diseases in diabetics can get very difficult to control. That is because these people have difficulty handling infections of any kind. Infections increase blood sugar, and it can be a vicious cycle where the diabetes causes the gum disease, and the gum disease in turn, impacts the diabetes. A person who has difficulty controlling his blood sugar levels can find it hard to treat gum disease. In fact, taking care of your teeth with the help of regular visits to a dentist, is a part of good diabetes care program. Also, people who are highly at risk for diabetes, but have not yet developed the disease can find that gum disease can accelerate the onset of diabetes.
Dental Health and Cardiac Health
People who suffer from chronic periodontal disease have a risk of coronary artery disease that’s twice as high as people who have no history of periodontal disease. There is still not enough evidence to prove this conclusively, and there are other factors like the person’s weight, genetics and lifestyle that can impact the development of heart problems, more than periodontal disease. According to proponents of the theory, bacteria from the mouth can attach themselves to plaque formations in coronary arteries, thereby contributing to the development of clots in the arteries.
Dental Health and Birth Issues
Gum and dental infections can trigger off premature delivery in pregnant women, and also result in the birth of babies with low birth weight. Some research studies have found a link between chronic and severe periodontal disease in a pregnant woman, and a high risk of premature delivery. Studies have also linked the treatment of gum disease in pregnant women to a reduced risk of premature birth.
Dental Health and Osteoporosis
The connection between dental health and osteoporosis is easier to understand because osteoporosis is caused by the same loss of bone density that is also responsible for weak and unhealthy teeth. Studies suggest a link between weak and unstable teeth, and the development of osteoporosis.
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