Oral Health for Total Health
Taking good care of your mouth, teeth and gums is a worthy goal for everyone. It can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease—and can help you keep your teeth for a lifetime!
It is important to understand the implications of oral health and its connection to your overall health.
Researchers are discovering new reasons to brush and floss. A healthy mouth may help you ward off medical disorders. An unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor.
If you don’t brush and floss regularly to keep your teeth clean, plaque can build up along your gum line, creating an environment for additional bacteria to accumulate in the space between your gums and your teeth. This gum infection is known as gingivitis. Left untreated, gingivitis can lead to a more serious gum infection called periodontitis, which can cause bone and tooth loss. But the consequences may not end there. Recent research suggests that there may be an association between oral infections — primarily gum infections — and poorly controlled diabetes, cardiovascular disease and preterm birth.
Saliva Swab
Did you know that a swab of saliva can tell your doctor volumes about what’s going on inside your body?
Your mouth is a window into what’s going on in the rest of your body, often serving as a helpful vantage point for detecting the early signs and symptoms of systemic disease — a disease that affects or pertains to your entire body, not just one of its parts. Systemic conditions such as AIDS or diabetes, for example, often first become apparent as mouth lesions or other oral problems. In fact, according to the Academy of General Dentistry, more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases produce oral signs and symptoms.
In case you are undergoing cancer treatment, for example, or any other condition that makes your immune system to weaken, the oral bacteria in your bloodstream may develop an infection in another part of your body. Infective endocarditis, is an example of this, in which oral bacteria enter your bloodstream and stick to the lining of diseased heart valves.
Care of your Month, Teeth and Gums
Don’t you have enough reasons to take good care of your mouth, teeth and gums?
After learning more about the relationship between your oral health and your overall health do not delay your visit to the dentist!
At Lawrence Park Dental, your dental office in North York, we offer a variety of dental services to keep you and your family with a healthy smile!
Contact us today at (416) 488 7454 to schedule your complete oral exam, which includes a full series of x-rays, evaluation of your gums and oral cancer screening!
Remember to practice good oral hygiene every day. You’re making an investment in your overall health, not just for now, but for the future, too.
*Resources: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).
