Have you ever wondered how important your mouth is to your quality of life? Taking care of your mouth doesn’t just keep your teeth white and your breath fresh.
Oral hygiene affects your health, your confidence, and how others see you.
Here’s why taking care of your mouth is so important.
Mouth Health Affects Heart Health
Bacteria growth below the gum line causes periodontal disease. Gum diseases like gingivitis are the sixth most common chronic condition around the world, affecting almost half the adults in the United States. When bacterial problems arise with your gums, your body fights that infection and inflammation results. As long as the issue remains below your gum line, your mouth stays inflamed.
If your gums are inflamed, that inflammation spreads through your entire body to raise your risk of heart disease and stroke. Chemicals your body releases when it’s inflamed flood your system. Continually elevated levels of these chemicals impact multiple processes.
Since inflammation is one of the risk factors for heart disease, people with gum disease are twice as likely to have a fatal heart attack than people without it. Bacteria from periodontal disease also attracts platelets to form small clots and increase your risk of stroke.
Oral Health is Connected to Diabetes
Poor oral health may make it harder to control blood sugar if you already have diabetes. If you don’t, gum disease makes you more likely to develop it. New studies suggest bacteria from periodontal disease produces toxins that make your body more insulin-resistant. Managing gum disease reduces your risk of diabetes, and managing your diabetes makes you less likely to develop gum disease.
Your Mouth and Your Mind
When you constantly swallow bacteria from gingivitis, it gets into your bloodstream and infiltrates your nerve channels. It eventually travels to your brain to make you more likely to develop Alzheimers or dementia.
Arthritis
Chronic inflammation contributes to some cases of arthritis. In a 2012 study, researchers drew synovial fluid from the joints of people with knee arthritis. Where bacteria was found in joints, it was a direct match for the bacteria caused by gum disease in their mouths.
Confidence
When you have conversations, people focus mainly on your eyes and your mouth. Appearances matter to all of us, and a smile that isn’t healthy can affect our confidence. If teeth are discolored, crooked, or missing, some people try to avoid smiling altogether. Gum disease causes bad breath and can negatively impact relationships. Poor oral hygiene can destroy an otherwise healthy self-esteem.
Protect your overall health by making sure your mouth is as healthy as it can be. Contact OMSNashville to schedule an appointment today.
The information and content on our website should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment or advice from your doctor.
