Dental Health and Chronic Diseases: Shocking Truths You Need to Know!
It all starts with oral health—cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory infections, Alzheimer’s & dementia, kidney disease, osteoporosis—the list runs long. About 80% of the global population aged over 35 reportedly suffers from gingivitis and periodontitis, two underlying causes linked to major cardiovascular complications. So, if you think oral issues can be taken lightly, think again! This blog uncovers some of the darkest truths related to dental health and chronic diseases that can help you straighten your priorities about the importance of oral health.
Periodontal disease and heart health: How are they connected?
Have you heard of atherosclerosis? It is a type of fatty plaque that builds up in the gum as a white film of sticky bacteria and, over time, enters the bloodstream, gets deposited in the inner lining of the coronary artery, and disrupts blood flow to the heart. Another life-threatening heart condition called endocarditis also stems from gum infection. Multiple medical probes find poor oral hygiene to be an independent risk factor contributing to serious heart health problems. While not everyone with gum disease will have heart health issues, it is important to note that periodontal diseases coupled with other lifestyle factors like smoking, fatty food consumption, sedentary lifestyle can put you at risk of developing cardiovascular challenges.
Oral Health and Diabetes: What’s the link?
No, poor oral hygiene does not cause diabetes, but unchecked diabetes can cause a bunch of serious oral health conditions like thrush, dry mouth, mouth sores, mouth ulcers, and tooth decay and also interfere with recovery from periodontal diseases. If you are nagged by a constant sour taste in mouth, suffer from bleeding gums, have white patches inside your mouth, it is time to visit your dentist. Oral health, on the other hand, can also complicate life of diabetic patients; for instance periodontitis can significantly increase Hemoglobin A1c level in the body, which can lead to nerve damage. Remember, oral health and diabetes are interconnected; one can adversely affect the other.
Dental health and chronic diseases: What you didn’t know!
The connection between dental health and chronic diseases goes deep. Gum diseases like periodontitis can cause pneumonia, premature and complicated births, lung, mouth, prostrate gland, breast, uterus, and gastrointestinal cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia & other autoimmune diseases. The reason behind most of these complications is systemic inflammation caused by oral bacteria that might have entered the bloodstream. When infected blood travels to different organs, it alerts the body’s immune response and warrants heightened & constant immune activity to curb chronic inflammation. Result? Over time, the body develops severe health complications, all of which could have been prevented by simple oral hygiene to start with!
Don’t undermine the importance of oral health!
Whether it’s periodontal disease and heart health, dental health and chronic diseases, oral health and diabetes, everything starts with oral health since the mouth is the easiest pathway for germs to invade your body. Therefore, understand the basic logic—good oral care keeps germs away and builds a good defense system for your body. Taking care of oral health issues early can protect your overall health from multiple diseases. So, visit a dentist and get your oral health checked to live a happy, healthy life.