Your oral health is more crucial than you might think. Discover how the condition of your mouth, teeth, and gums can impact your overall health.
The Connection Between Oral and General Health
Did you know your oral health can provide insights into your overall health? Issues in your mouth can affect the rest of your body. Protect yourself by understanding the link between oral health and general well-being.
How Are Oral and Overall Health Linked?
Your mouth, like other parts of the body, teems with bacteria—mostly harmless. However, since the mouth is the entry point to the digestive and respiratory tracts, harmful bacteria can cause diseases. Typically, the body’s defenses and good oral hygiene—brushing and flossing daily—keep bacteria under control. Without proper oral care, bacteria can reach harmful levels, leading to infections like tooth decay and gum disease.
Certain medications, such as decongestants, antihistamines, painkillers, diuretics, and antidepressants, can reduce saliva flow. Saliva helps wash away food and neutralize acids produced by bacteria, preventing their spread and potential disease.
Oral bacteria and inflammation, particularly from severe gum disease (periodontitis), are linked to various health issues. Diseases like diabetes and HIV/AIDS, which impair the body’s infection-fighting ability, can exacerbate oral health problems.
Health Conditions Linked to Oral Health
Your oral health may influence various conditions, including:
- Endocarditis: This infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers or valves typically occurs when bacteria from another part of the body, like the mouth, spread through the bloodstream and attach to the heart. Though rare, endocarditis can be fatal.
- Cardiovascular Disease: Research suggests heart disease, clogged arteries, and stroke may be linked to the inflammation and infections caused by oral bacteria.
- Pregnancy and Birth Complications: Periodontitis has been associated with premature birth and low birth weight.
- Pneumonia: Bacteria from the mouth can be inhaled into the lungs, causing pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
Certain conditions can also affect oral health:
- Diabetes: Diabetes reduces the body’s ability to fight infection, making the gums more susceptible to disease. Gum disease is more common and severe in people with diabetes. Moreover, managing gum disease can help control blood sugar levels.
- HIV/AIDS: Painful mouth sores, known as mucosal lesions, are common in individuals with HIV/AIDS.
- Cancer: Several cancers, including those of the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, breast, prostate, and uterus, have been linked to gum disease.
- Alzheimer’s Disease: As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, oral health tends to deteriorate.
Other conditions that may be linked to oral health include eating disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren’s syndrome, an immune disorder causing dry mouth.
How to Protect Your Oral Health
To maintain good oral health, follow these daily practices:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste. Don’t forget to brush your tongue.
- Clean between your teeth daily using floss, a water flosser, or other interdental cleaners.
- Eat a healthy diet and limit sugary foods and beverages.
- Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed.
- Visit your dentist at least once a year for checkups and cleanings. More frequent visits may be necessary based on your oral health needs. You may be referred to a periodontist if your gums require special care.
- Avoid using tobacco.
Inform your dentist about any medications you take and any changes in your overall health, including recent illnesses or ongoing conditions like diabetes. Address any oral health concerns promptly to protect your overall health. Visit Listiby for more information.
