Our Teeth and Our Health
Our bodies are incredible machines, and we all know how important it is to maintain healthy cardiovascular systems and strong muscles. But how often do we consider the importance of good dental care to our overall health?
The fact is, the health of you r teeth and gums can have a direct impact on the health of the rest of your body, and vice versa. Regular dental visits can improve, not only your smile, but your overall health and the quality of your life.
Here are some examples of how then health of your teeth can affect the health of your body, and hoe the health of your body affects the health of your teeth:
The Inflammation Connection:
Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection of the gums that produces toxins that cause redness and inflammation. This inflammation damages the gums and the bone supporting the teeth. If left untreated, it can lead to bone loss.
What many people don't know is that these bacteria can travel throughout the body. In fact, periodontal disease has been linked to a number of other inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and even Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers have posed several theories that link periodontal disease to heart disease. One theory holds that the bacteria attack plaque in the heart or coronary blood vessels, which may contribute to a clot formation. These blood clots can obstruct blood flow, restricting the amount of nutrients and oxygen require for the heart to function properly, which can eventually lead to a heartt attack. Another theory suggests that inflammation can cause periodontal disease to increase plaque buildup, which may contribute to the swelling of the arteries, exacerbating existing heart conditions.
Periodontal disease may also make it more difficult for people who have diabetes to control their blood sugar. Severe periodontal disease can cause an increase in blood sugar levels, which puts diabetics at increased risk for diabetic complications.
It's important to keep in mind that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can be passed to other people through saliva, which puts couples and family members at risk.
Bone Loss, Dry Mouth, Chemo, and Stress
Among the afflictions of the body that directly impact our dental health is osteoporosis, which can lead to tooth loss when the density of the bone supporting the teeth is decreased by disease. Menopausal women who have decrease level of hormones are prone to osteoporosis, which canalso lead to periodontal disease. That is why hormonal replacement therapy may slow the progression of periodontal disease.
Dry mouth, a condition called xerstomia, is the result of deceased flows of saliva to the mouth. Saliva lubricates oral tissue, cleanses the mouth, and begins the digestive process as foods are chewed. Most people don't realize that saliva also helps prevent infection and decay by controlling the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi. as well as acting as a buffer to help neutralize the acidity that accelarates the process of decay.
Dry mouth is a common side effect of many prescription and nonprescription drugs, including medications used to treat depression, anxiety, pain, allergies, and colds. That list includes antihistamines and decongestants, as well as medications for obesity, acne, epilepsy, hypertension (including diurectics), diarrhea, nausea, phychotic disorders, urinary incontinence, asthma (including certain bronchodilators),and Parkinson's disease. Dry mouth is also a side effect of muscle relaxants and sedatives.
A number of diseases are also accompanied by dry mouth, including Siogren's Syndrome, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, anemia, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and mumps.
Chemotherapy treatments for cancer are known to damage the salivary glands, which can cause severely reduced saliva flows. Patients who have undergone chemotherapy often have root-decay problems once their treatment is completed.
Dry mouth can also be caused by nerve damage due to an injury or surgery. Even cigarette smoking or chewing tobacco can aggravate a dry mouth, because the user tends to breathe with his or her mouth open.
Stress is another factor that can have a direct impact to your dental health. Teeth grinding, clenching, and other nervous habits can damage teeth over time, causing wear, chips, and even dental fractures.
As you can see, in order to have a healthy body you need to have a healthy mouth, and vice versa.