Oral Health/Overall Health Connection
Taking care of your mouth (your Oral Health) can benefit the rest of your body (your Overall Health). Here are some examples:
- Your Heart: are you aware that maintaining a healthy mouth (your teeth and surrounding tissues) is associated with the health of your heart? Bacteria from gum disease can enter the blood stream (through bleeding gums) and travel to the heart. This can contribute to heart disease and stroke.
- Your Lungs: some lung infections are caused or worsened by inhaling the bacteria from gum disease into your lungs – such as pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema, COPD.
- Diabetes: people living with diabetes are prone to bacterial infections – including gum disease. Oral infection can make it more difficult to control blood sugar. If you are diabetic, keeping your gums healthy makes it easier to keep your blood sugar in a more normal range.
- Pregnancy: Hormonal changes during pregnancy can contribute to ‘pregnancy gingivitis’. This condition can potentially induce premature labour and delivery. Keeping the gums healthy and visiting the dentist during pregnancy can help prevent this.
An interesting fact: Children are not born with mouthfuls of germs. Studies show that cavity-causing bacteria get passed directly from parents (mostly the mother) to children by mouth-to-mouth transmission (sharing spoons, soothers etc.) This is a reason why mothers with cavities can have children who suffer from the same.
Wrtten by Pat Mousseau, Registered Dental Hygienist