How Oral Health Affects Your Whole Body

A mouth-body connection is not a secret, but still, not many people realize just how much oral health can influence one’s health in general. Essentially, you can treat your mouth and oral health like a window into your overall health and the rest of your body. In that respect, proper and regular oral hygiene is of immense importance. So, what are the major health issues associated with your oral health?

Diabetes

One of the more serious oral health issues is periodontitis or gum disease. You may be wondering what gum disease actually has to do with diabetes. Well, inflammation in the mouth of this type affects the body when it comes to the blood sugar control. In that respect, the body can’t utilize the insulin properly either. On the other hand, higher blood sugar creates perfect conditions for the infections to grow, which is also the case for the infections in your mouth. However, since the two can affect each other so strongly, treating one issue can help you relieve the other, as well.

Heart disease

As you can imagine, this is one of the most serious health issues that can be linked to periodontitis. The link is not transparently established yet but it is known that more than 90% of the patients with heart disease also have inflamed gums. The theory is that inflammation in the mouth can lead to the inflammation in blood vessels, which lead to the heart. Due to the poor oral hygiene and infections, bacteria and plaque can travel through the vessels and reach the heart or brain, thus causing a heart attack or a stroke.

Pregnancy issues

There are many factors that can cause premature birth, low baby weight and even changes in the development of the baby while still in the womb. One of the known factors is also periodontitis. In general, men tend to suffer from gum disease more often than women. However, due to the hormonal imbalance during pregnancy, a lot of women start having problems with their oral health, and especially gums. The loss of teeth and tooth decay are also something that can happen during pregnancy but can be easily prevented. So, it’s not surprising that a root canal treatment in Sydney is highly sought-after and quite successful since it deals with the issue effectively while keeping the teeth intact.

Osteoporosis

The link between periodontitis and osteoporosis is not clearly established either. Osteoporosis tends to affect long bones of arms and legs while periodontitis attacks the jawbone.  What’s more, the first affects women more while the latter is a more common issue for men. However, the fact that most women suffering from osteoporosis also suffer from periodontitis cannot be ignored. It’s theorized that gum inflammation triggers the bone loss in the rest of the body as well.

Other conditions

Unfortunately, poor oral health and gum disease can cause even more health issues. Just like osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis is also connected to the severity of oral problems. Not to mention the possible lung diseases that can be caused by breathing in the bacteria and plaque. Some studies have even linked periodontitis to obesity; just like high blood sugar creates good conditions for infection to grow, so does the presence of higher body fat.

Together with proper oral hygiene as well as regular dentist appointments, not smoking is one of the essential preventive measures when it comes to gum disease. Therefore, stay responsible and take care of yourself starting from your mouth. After all, the effort you put into your own well-being is the best treatment you can get before you end up in need of a professional help.

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