There's so much more to dental health than just keeping your teeth clean!
Of course, maintaining your teeth so that you have a great smile, and can easily chew food, is important. However, many people don't realize just how much their oral health can affect the rest of their body. A healthy mouth really does help lead to a healthy body!
These are just a few of the ways that dental problems can impact your overall health.
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body
1 - Oral infections can spread
If an infection sets up shop in your mouth, it basically has access to the rest of your body. It can easily make its way into your sinus cavities, or get into your bloodstream and spread throughout your body.
In worst case scenarios, untreated oral infections can even make their way to their brain. People have died from this! Oral infections can also turn into pneumonia, if they reach your lungs - which isn't hard, when your mouth directly connects to them.
2 - Oral infections can suppress your immune system
Another problem with having untreated oral infections is that they require your immune system to constantly deal with them. In turn, this takes resources away from the rest of your body - making it easier for other diseases to take hold.
3 - Oral infections can complicate pregnancies
If you're pregnant, it's important to visit the dentist along with your other prenatal doctors' appointments. Multiple studies have linked periodontitis (gum disease) with premature birth and low birth weights. You want to clear up any infections you might have, to make sure they don't affect the baby.
4 - Gum disease and diabetes are linked
While researchers are still looking into the how and whys, there is a definite link between the two. People with diabetes are more prone to periodontitis, and in turn, gum disease seems to make it more difficult for the body to regulate blood sugar. On the plus side, curing oral diseases can have a positive effect for diabetics.
5 - Many other diseases can be made worse by gum disease
Aside from those mentioned, oral infections have also been shown as detrimental to people with AIDS, endocarditis and other heart diseases, and even Alzheimers.
In short, protecting your oral health is also helping to protect your whole-body health! If it's been more than six months since your last checkup/cleaning, or you know you have untreated oral disease, contact your Plainsboro Dental Care, www.plainsbordentalcare.com, for all your dental needs.