Brushing twice and flossing once each day along with an antiseptic mouthwash, a healthy diet and regular checkups with your Glen View Dentist, make good sense when it comes to the health of your teeth and gums. However, growing evidence is showing that your mouth really is the gateway when it comes to your overall health and if unhealthy, can cause stroke, heart disease, a poor pregnancy, diabetes and other health conditions. Recent research has even discovered a higher risk for certain kinds of cancer.
Just What is the Connection?
When it comes to heart disease, researchers believe that bad bacteria in your mouth could be to blame. If you have gum disease bacteria, plaque and tartar can enter your blood stream settling into the artery plaques in your heart. This can cause clotting, which could lead to heart attack.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Gilmor, another connection could be the gum disease bacteria, which causes chronic inflammation. This can increase plaque buildup and play a huge roll in inflammatory ailments such as certain types of cancer, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes.
People who suffer from gingivitis or the more serious periodontal disease are twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.
When it comes to diabetes and gingivitis or periodontal disease, the connection is even stronger as diabetics are more susceptible to infection and gum disease. People who have gum disease are more likely to have problems controlling their blood sugar levels, than people who don’t have diabetes. Diabetics who don’t suffer from gum disease are less likely to have kidney disease than diabetics who don’t have gingivitis or periodontal disease.
Your oral health is imperative for your overall health. Watching what you eat, practicing good oral hygiene, including regular trips to your dentist in Chicago, can help keep your overall health in check.
If you haven’t seen a dentist in some time, your overall health could be at risk. Call or click and schedule a dental appointment with the Glen Dental Center in Glen View today.