How Dental Hygiene Affects Your Health

How well you take care of your teeth can actually affect the health of other parts of your body. If you allow for the health of your mouth to deteriorate you can develop periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can compromise other systems in your body. At its earliest stages periodontal disease can be treated and cured. It is when you neglect your mouth and teeth that the periodontal disease can spread and affect your heart, lungs, un-born children, immune system, diet, and can even compromise your very life.
Heart disease - Significant links have been found between those who have heart disease and those who have periodontal disease. Research has suggested that the bacteria originated in the mouth can affect the healthy function of the heart. This is a huge matter of concern especially to women due to the fact that heart disease claims more lives annually than all other forms of cancer combined.
Lung and respiratory problems - The nature of bacteria is to migrate and spread to infect wider and wider
areas of the body. A bacterium in the mouth is no exception. The most common first stop for oral bacteria is in the lungs. When the lungs are infected, breathing can become more and more difficult and painful. Naturally an inability to get enough air to the lungs will result in deficiencies elsewhere in the body and the bacterium can more easily continue to spread.
Low birth weight, pre-mature babies - Researchers have found that expectant mothers who have periodontal disease are more likely to give birth to low birth weight, pre-mature babies. This is because the bacteria associated with periodontal disease have a specific effect on the chemicals needed to start a pregnant woman's contractions. In cases where these pre-mature contractions cannot be stopped and the baby is born, that baby is naturally underdeveloped.
Immune system deficiencies - When the bacteria from periodontal disease are left unchecked for a long period of time the bacteria spreads to infect all areas of the body. Having such an infestation of bacteria weakens the body's natural ability to fight other sicknesses and diseases. Even viruses as serious as HIV have been found first in the mouth.
Diet and diabetes - There are definite links between periodontal disease and diabetes. In fact, almost 95% of those with diabetes also have periodontal disease. Periodontal disease and diabetes have a downward-spiraling complimentary effect. The worse your diet becomes that more susceptible to both diseases you become. A diabetic who does not monitor his diet properly will only add not only to his blood sugar level problems but also to his oral health issues.
So we know now that there are several very real ways that dental hygiene affects our health, but what can we do to stop all of these terrible bacteria induced things from happening to use? The key is to see your dentist for preventative care twice a year. Your dentist is the doctor of choice when it comes to early detection and treatment of periodontal disease. In many cases these semiannual appointments are all that are needed to screen for potentially deadly illnesses. Periodontal disease is much more serious than we may have previously thought. Hopefully you now understand how in fact a problem in your mouth can balloon into something much more unpleasant than a cavity or even a root canal.

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