Your Mouth and Your Body: The Connection
It’s been known recently that the gums and teeth act as a barometer for how well the body is doing, they may directly affect the health of the heart, metabolism, or the brain. Doctors, universally, don’t seem to make the connection considering the mouth is the most common entry point for infection. They don’t take the health of the mouth more seriously when almost every medical condition has some kind of manifestation in the mouth.
Since inflammation is a major force behind almost every chronic disease, we consider, for example, how bad oral hygiene can eventually lead to serious periodontal disease. Inflamed and infected, bacteria can travel the bloodstream from the gums to the rest of the body triggering a harmful inflammatory response far from the mouth. Such as the heart. One should consider, in theory, the development of cardiovascular disease. And the odds can stack up pretty fast – heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and possibly erectile dysfunction and Alzheimer’s can all be connected to an unhealthy mouth. A study even reported that patients with periodontal disease were 30 percent more likely to suffer a first heart attack than patients with a clean bill of health.
Diabetes is the other major area of oral-systemic research. Studies show that if you’ve got gum disease, you’re more likely to develop diabetes; the worse the gums, likely the worse the diabetes. Mouth bacteria can interfere with the body’s ability to clear sugar from the blood. Conversely, diabetics have a harder time keeping bacteria off their gums as the tissues are more susceptible.
There’s the potential impact oral bacteria have in the brain. A small British study found Alzheimer’s patients with gum disease suffered cognitive decline at six times the rate of the group without. And yes, people whose brains are rapidly deteriorating are more likely to forget to brush their teeth.
These connections should be considered more seriously as doctors and dentist work together to build a healthier society.
Making the Connection in Lynnwood
Here at Lynnwood Song Dental, we are only too aware how connected the mouth is to the rest of the body. Surely, we advice well should we find tell-tale signs in the oral structures of a medical condition existing that is best dealt with by a physician.
