How Oral Health Impacts Overall Health

Studies have long confirmed a link between oral health and overall health. Which means any problem with your mouth, teeth or gums may either lead to a health concern or denote some problem in your body. In some cases, the underlying health problems may be responsible for teeth fractures or periodontal disease. Similarly, your dental problem may also be the result of high blood pressure or anemia.

Cases are there when people with dental problems have gone on to be struck by the massive heart attack. For that reason, you should never ignore your oral health given how much directly it’s linked to your overall well-being or general health. Your daily brushing, flossing and tongue cleaning can do more to your health than just preventing cavities.

Here are 5 Ways Your Oral Health May Impact Your Overall Health –

1. Cardiovascular disease

Did you know that poor oral health may lead to heart disease? Well, you may not else why would you take oral care that lightly. You should know the bacteria from gum disease can enter your bloodstream and cause a lot of problems. They can reach further up to the arteries and cause its hardening. In this condition, plaque develops on the walls of arteries leading to an impact on the blood flow through the body. This is where the risk of heart attack or stroke arises. The same bacteria can also harm the inner linings of the heart. To stop the damage, you should consult best dentist forest ave queens and seek right treatment.

2. Dementia

Dementia is a problem characterized by the gradual loss of memory or thinking of a person. It impairs mental ability and thought process so there will be the problem in doing everyday work. But did you know that poor oral health may lead to dementia? Most people don’t know what should be known. So, when you have gum disease, the bacteria may enter the brain through nerve channels to cause dementia. The bacteria may also enter the head through the bloodstream cause the development of Alzheimer’s disease. You can take proper oral care and nip this problem at an early stage.

3. Respiratory infections

Gum disease can cause infection in your lungs in the same way as it leads or cardiovascular disease. In both the cases, the bacteria may enter the bloodstream or lungs to cause irreparable damage to the organ. It can reach the lungs to cause infections and pneumonia. Even inflammation could be the result when gum disease is allowed grow. Respiratory infections will basically be resulted from breathing in bacteria from gums or teeth that are infected for a long time. To minimize the risk, you just have one option which is to maintain good oral health. That’s why poor oral health is something you just can’t afford else it might lead to a variety of risks to the body.

4. Diabetic complications

We know how the body’s inability to manage blood sugar level leads to diabetes. But what many of us not know that poor oral health may make one diabetic. With periodontal disease, there is always a risk of diabetes. If you have inflammation of the gum tissue, there will be more difficulty in controlling your blood sugar. This is how diabetes and its symptoms may worsen. On the other hand, if you suffer from diabetes, there will always be a higher risk of gum disease. For that reason, diabetics are required to give more care to their dental health than the rest of us.

5. Pregnancy and birth

There is also a strong link between oral health and pregnancy. Your dentist Greenpoint will tell how expecting mothers are more at risk for gum disease and how periodontitis can cause premature birth. Poor oral health during pregnancy may also lead to the low weight birth. However, some women wrongly believe that seeing a dentist during pregnancy could carry risk to the baby which is not true. Even x-rays won’t harm provided the dentist knows how to shield the mother’s abdomen during the procedure. Pregnancy should never be an excuse to skip general dental check even if elective treatment could be posted for obvious health concerns.

6. Teeth grinding and joint health

Teeth grinding or bruxism may look harmful on the surface but it comes with deep health implications. In fact, people with the frequent and severe grinding of teeth are always at risk of joint health. It can aggravate the joints in the lower jaw can lead to pain or tightness of varying level. In fact, bruxism may also lead to headaches and earaches if not treated timely.

Similarly, bruxism is also harmful to the teeth. Those with the habit are more likely to have worn down or sensitive teeth. And such teeth are prone to be chipped or broken over time. If you put more force on your teeth, they can start wearing down gradually and leading to the risk of dental decay in future. For that reason, teeth grinding should be treated at the earliest to prevent health concerns.

7. Tongue health and germs

Beware you all who don’t take tongue cleaning seriously. Your tongue has lots of bacteria on the surface which can harm the health a lot. They can enter the bloodstream and then reach further to other body parts and cause damages. Their risk includes heart attack and lung infection. That apart, such bacteria or germs cause bad breath and impact the sense of taste.

If the tongue bacteria is not cleaned, they can cause a variety of dental problems in the mouth. So, it’s always recommended to clean the tongue regularly, keep it free of germs and prevent any plaque buildup. This is the only way to maintain oral health and keep the teeth and gums free from disease.