The state of your oral health doesn’t just affect the appearance of your smile or the smell of your breath. Your oral and overall health have a connection that goes far deeper than you might think.
Diabetes and other systemic diseases (i.e. diseases that affect the entire body) often start out as simple mouth sores. Harmful bacteria can invade the bloodstream using swollen gums as an entry point. Indeed, the health of your teeth and gums are a crucial but overlooked barrier between your body and serious disease.
Your Mouth As An “Open Window”
Dental health professionals often refer to the mouth as a “window to your overall health” since infections, cancers, nutritional problems, and other diseases can be detected by thoroughly testing your saliva and oral tissues. This is also because mouth sores and other oral problems happen to be the earliest signs of systemic diseases like AIDS and diabetes.
Your mouth is also known as an “open window” because harmful bacteria can use it as an entry point into your body. Bad bacteria is normally kept at bay when our gums are in great shape. However, when our gums become extremely swollen due to periodontal disease, bacteria from dental plaque travels through the bloodstream to the crucial parts of the body, such as our heart and lungs. Even if you aren’t suffering from periodontal disease, bad bacteria can still enter your body through gum injuries caused by rough brushing habits, accidents, and nail-biting.
The Consequences of “Dry Mouth”
Dry mouth—a condition where you lack enough saliva to chew or speak comfortably—can lead to serious oral problems like tooth decay, gum disease, and infection. Saliva acts as one of our body’s strongest defenses against bacteria, viruses, and other harmful organisms. When we lack saliva due to a poor diet, sickness, or certain medications, we become more prone to tooth decay and even cardiovascular disease.
Another reason to worry about dry mouth is that it can lead to tooth decay and other oral health problems. Saliva ensures that our teeth, especially the ones we use most for chewing, are well protected against painful cavities and nasty bacterial infection. When there isn’t enough saliva to go around, nasty plaque sticks to the surfaces of our teeth. Painful cavities then form as a result of precious tooth enamel getting destroyed by harmful bacteria.
What Diseases Are Caused by Poor Oral Health?
Since our mouth acts as an entry point into other parts of the body, we need to stay wary of how well our teeth and gums are doing. When our gums and saliva aren’t in top shape, harmful plaque and bacteria can cause dire consequences for our overall health.
Stroke
According to the Cleveland Clinic, oral bacteria traveling through the bloodstream can cause an inflammation of the blood vessels. This makes you more at risk of suffering from stroke, heart disease, and other serious cardiovascular diseases. Blood clots in the heart and brain caused by inflamed blood vessels can also make you more prone to stroke and other serious diseases.
Heart Disease
Atherosclerosis, a condition where your artery walls suffer from built-up plaque and restricted blood flow, is caused when oral bacteria invades your bloodstream. The inflammation and hardening of your artery walls eventually leads to problems with blood flow and blockages, thus increasing your risk of stroke, heart attacks, and other serious cardiovascular diseases.
Difficult Diabetes
Fluctuating blood sugar levels can make gum disease, cavities, and other oral problems difficult for diabetics to manage. Severe periodontitis can cause your body’s blood sugar levels to go out of control, thus making you more prone to health complications. Sudden spikes in blood sugar levels can also cause oral bacteria to thrive and spread to all corners of your teeth and gums, which may make it harder for you to keep your oral health in good shape.
Complications with Pregnancy
Hormonal changes during pregnancy make the body more prone to oral infections and periodontal disease. Researchers believe that the bacteria responsible for swollen gums can travel through the bloodstream and eventually interrupt the natural growth and development of the fetus, leading to problems with preterm birth and low birth weight.
How Can I Protect My Health?
Great oral hygiene goes a long way. The best way to keep your mouth and body from suffering nasty infections is to brush and floss properly every day. Flossing is especially important since it can get rid of nasty plaque responsible for serious health problems. If you’re having trouble with floss, you can use mouth wash or interdental cleaners to keep your oral health in excellent shape.
Of course, your diet and lifestyle habits are also important. Opting for a healthy, sugar-free diet will lower your chances of suffering from bacterial infections and strengthen your body against harmful diseases. You should also visit your dentist to ensure that harmful organisms are properly cleansed from your teeth and gums. Your dentist can also offer excellent advice on keeping your oral and overall health free of any serious problems.
Maintaining your teeth with great oral hygiene tools is a surefire way to keep nasty plaque at bay. The Meeteasy Electric Dental Calculus Remover eliminates harmful bacteria from places your toothbrush can’t reach in order to keep your gums healthy and plaque-free. Order yours from our online store to enjoy incredible health in no time!