subject: How Oral Health Affects The Whole Body [print this page] Did you know that the mouth is the gateway to the body? Did you know that problems with oral health can affect the body? With much emphasis on oral health and the importance of healthy gums and teeth, the mouth though being the gateway to the body, is not, however, a very unpolluted entrance to the body. One would be surprised at the amount of bacteria present in the mouth. It is imperative that the oral cavity be kept free of impurities as the bacteria could cause inflammation and infection that would be carried to the rest of the body and cause deadly harm. So, it is necessary to maintain good oral health with periodic visits to the dentist.
A combination of periodontitis or gum disease and diabetes quickens or hastens the onslaught with the inflammation starting at the gums thereby weakening the bodys capability of controlling blood sugar and disability to utilize insulin. As high blood sugar weakens the body, gum disease is allowed to flourish and the only way to control this destruction is by treating one of the diseases to prevent progression of the other. Oral disease affects pregnancy where the babies who are born prematurely or have low birth weight will be prone to various diseases. Poor oral health can also trigger osteoporosis which when interlinked with periodontitis or gum disease can cause bone loss. Periodontitis can set off inflammation which causes bone loss in the jawbone while osteoporosis triggered by gum disease affects and attacks the bones of the body.
As smoking causes gum disease which can be very severe, it is impossible in some cases for gum surgeries to be successful with recovery being slow. The nicotine in the cigarette causes constriction of the blood vessels in the gums making it weak and unable to fight infection. Studies show that most of the patients having heart disease also suffer from periodontitis as in both the diseases, the blood vessels are inflamed causing less flow of blood to the heart. Treating periodontitis or gum disease reduces pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis whilst the progression of periodontitis is accelerated by obesity as the disease thrives on a high amount of body fat. Conditions of the lungs are worsened by periodontitis because the bacteria increase in the lungs making chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia difficult to obliterate. It is important to maintain good oral health to prevent diseases of the body.
