By Valerie Hawkins
Did you know problems in your mouth, teeth, and gums can affect the rest of your body? Your oral health may be more important than you think. It is essential to understand the connection between your oral health and your overall health and what you can do to promote good oral care for you and your family.
Oral Health and Your Overall Health
Brushing and flossing your teeth have most likely been in your daily routine since before you can remember. This is because good dental hygiene can help prevent bad breath, gum disease, and tooth decay. However, an unhealthy mouth may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and preterm labor.
Recent research suggests chronic gum disease may cause inflammation throughout your body, including your arteries, making these individuals more prone to heart disease and stroke. An infection in your mouth may also cause insulin resistance, which disrupts blood sugar control, and therefore puts you at higher risk for diabetes. Lastly, bacteria that causes an infection in your mouth releases toxins. In pregnant women, these toxins may interfere with the growth and development on the fetus, leading to low birth weight or preterm labor.
“Regular dental checkups can reveal much about your overall health,” says Dr. Emil Verban, Jr., Doctor of Dental Surgery at McLean County Dental in Bloomington. “A lot of health conditions, some of them life-threatening, can be detected in the early stages during routine dental checkups.”
Your Mouth: A Gateway for Bacteria
The inside of your mouth hosts more than 500 species of bacteria. Makes you want to go brush your teeth, huh? Although not all bacteria in your mouth are bad, most bacteria forms dental plaque that builds up on teeth. Normally, good oral hygiene such as regularly brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist every six months, can keep bacteria under control. If you don’t practice good dental hygiene, this makes your gums prone to infection.
When an infection occurs in your mouth, the immune system moves in to attack the infection and the gums become inflamed. The inflammation continues unless the infection is brought under control with treatment, such as antibiotics.
If left untreated, the infection in your mouth may enter your bloodstream and cause serious health risks. If you think that sounds a bit dramatic, it’s not. It’s the reason why patients are usually prescribed an antibiotic before having dental work done to prevent possible infection of the heart or orthopedic joint replacements.
Managing Bacteria
Although you can’t rid your mouth of all bacteria, the good news is you can manage it with good oral hygiene. Brushing after meals and flossing at least once per day can help control plaque buildup, which can help keep harmful bacteria from reproducing in your mouth. Using mouthwash and visiting your dentist every six months is also crucial for promoting good oral health for you and your family.
McLean County Dental is located at 2103 E. Washington Street in Bloomington. The friendly staff is passionate about your teeth and smile. They specialize in the highest quality of general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and implant dentistry. For more information, please call 309-662-8448 or visit www.mcleancountydental.com.
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