The Mouth-Body Connection- How Oral Hygiene Affects Our Health

The world of medicine is constantly advancing. Every year we see new breakthroughs in curing, treating and diagnosing medical conditions. This is especially seen in the ways we think about the causes and connections between some illnesses. Years ago, doctors wouldn’t ever connect heart disease with gum infection and respiratory problems with bacteria in your mouth, but today we are fully aware that these things can be connected.

We know that bad oral hygiene can lead to a more serious health condition than an inflamed tooth, we have learned that some oral conditions directly cause other health problems and so on. But what are the most common mouth-body connections? In this article, we will give you some examples of connections between oral hygiene and the rest of your body and how it can cause serious health conditions.

Heart problems

Heart problems also share a connection with bad oral hygiene, at least according to the 2005 study from the University of Florida. There’s no conclusive evidence to link these two together because they share other health problems like diabetes, old age, etc., but scientists are pretty sure that the harmful bacteria from your mouth can enter the bloodstream and end up forming plaque in your arteries.

Another possible connection is with infected gums that cause body inflammation, which is one of the risk factors for the heart disease. Even though it will take a while to confirm these connections people shouldn’t ignore gum problems. Bacteria that gum infection produces are certainly not good for your heart.

Pregnancy problems

Another connection is with problems in pregnancy and especially with preterm birth. Some researchers say that gum infection and its effect on your immune system can increase the risk of preterm birth. Additionally, scientists are saying that women who have gum problems are having a harder time getting pregnant than those who don’t.

These again are all studies that haven’t been proven completely. We cannot say with absolute certainty that gum diseases cause preterm birth, but some connection does exist. What most doctors are saying is that gum infection weakens the immune system of pregnant women and that in return might trigger preterm birth. Also, treating gum condition doesn’t reduce the chances of an early birth.

Problems with diabetes

This is the opposite connection. Studies have shown that diabetes can affect your oral health by weakening your gums and making them more prone to infection and bacterial growth. The connection between diabetes and bad gums has proven countless times. Some studies even proved that dentists can diagnose diabetes in patients solely by looking their teeth and gums. So if you have a chronic gum infection, maybe it is time to check your blood for diabetes, there are a lot of people who don’t realize they have it.

Respiratory problems

Recent studies have shown that the bacteria in your mouth can travel to your lungs and cause severe problems to your respiratory system. For example, you can breathe in tooth plaque, which will later cause respiratory diseases like pneumonia and any other chronic lung condition. The chances of this happening further increase if you have problems with your immune system.

So, if you have a chronically weak immune system and you have noticed some gum problems visit Australian Dental Specialists and resolve these problems immediately. The bacteria spreads fast and if your immune system is already weakened there is a high chance of infection spreading further.

And that brings us to the end. As you can see there are plenty of connections between your oral hygiene and other health problems. Even though some of them are not completely proven, we cannot ignore them. So try to improve your oral hygiene and visit your dentist regularly. This is the only way to avoid further complications.

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