Can Oral Problems Cause Other Kinds of Illness?

Oral health is an essential aspect of the overall health and if you want to restore its wellbeing it is a must that you don’t ignore your oral health. This is why you should consider this Family dentist Little Falls if you have yet to find a reliable dentist.

The mouth that is healthy does not just enable you to have nutrition for a great physical health, but it also promotes self-esteem and improves your skills of social interactions.

The mouth also reflects many of the health issues that you should be aware of. For example, the internal liaisons of the mouth can be the symptom of the HIV, the pale and bleeding gums can signify blood disorders and the aphthous ulcers can be the early signs of Crohn’s disease or Coelic disease. Again, skeletal osteoporosis can be signified by bone loss in the lower jaw and anorexia or bulimia can be indicated by the appearance of the teeth.

The oral conditions can be a symptom of the overall health and the diseases developing in other parts of the body. The bacteria residing in the mouth can lead to infections in a variety of mouth parts when the immune system is adulterated by the treatment procedures or other kinds of diseases.

Especially, the periodontal ailment is linked with a myriad of systematic conditions. Though the biological interactions between the medical conditions and the periodontal ailments is not understood fully, it is clear that the major chronic ailments like the heart disease and cancer share the common risk factors with the oral ailment.

Plaque and How it Affects the Oral Health Leading to Gum Disease Ultimately

Plaque is constantly formed on your teeth. When you eat foods and drink beverages with starches, an acid is released by the bacteria which attack the tooth enamel. The plaque gets so sticky that it keeps the acid in contact with the teeth.

The plaque build-up can also lead to the formation of gum ailment. This happens when the swollen and the tender gums start bleeding. This condition is known as gingivitis. With its progress, severe periodontal diseases can be the result. The gum tissue pulls away from the teeth, under such circumstances, which allows the bacteria to destroy the underlying teeth structure.

Some studies have revealed that for women with periodontal disease, treatment of the same can help to carry their babies to the full term.

Gum Disease and its Association with General Health Issues

Gum Disease is known to be related with a plethora of chronic ailments. Some of them are enlisted below.

• Gum Disease and Diabetes – Diabetes and gum ailment are associated closely. In fact, if you have diabetes, it is more likely that you will develop gum ailment than those who don’t have. Again, inflammation can be partly blamed for this. Those people with gum ailment are more prone towards developing diabetes. In fact, gum disease can be a symptom of diabetes that you may often ignore. Gum disease can also worsen diabetes among certain people. If the diabetes is not being controlled there can be more chances of gum ailment.

• Gum Disease and Your Heart – There is a lot of research that supports the link between the periodontal and heart disease though the evidence is inconclusive. This connection is primarily in regards with the inflammatory products like protein found in the blood plasma like the c-reactive protein or CRP. This CRP is elevated in the bloodstream of the people who have the periodontal disease. With the inflammation of the body parts the level rises further. One probable explanation for this is that of the bacteria, contained in the gums that are infected, entering the bloodstream. They then travel to the circulatory system engendering arterial plaque and inflammation. Research has found strong evidence of oral bacteria giving rise to systematic inflammation leading to atherosclerosis. As gum and heart ailment have many risks in common like weight and smoking, they can also develop simultaneously. Thus, treating gum disease can help to improve or reduce the harmful effects of stroke or heart ailment or other chronic conditions.

• Gum Ailment and Dementia – The gum disease is also seen to enhance the risk of dementia later in life. Researchers have also found that periodontal disease can be associated with the cognitive impairments that are milder like memory issues. This is bound to make life more challenging on a day-to-day basis. Recent studies have revealed that patients of gum disease scored the worst on calculations and memory tests.

• Risks of Cancer and Gum Disease – Again, cancer and gum ailment do not apparently have much in common. Studies have brought to light the fact that cancer and gum disease are usually interlinked. In fact, research reveals a strong association between overall cancer risk and gum ailment. The connection between gum disease and pancreatic cancer is especially significant in this case. Researchers have probed and found out that an enzyme produced by certain kind of bacteria known as Treponema denticola is usually associated with the gum disease. This enzyme is also found in certain tumours of the gastrointestinal system. The Treponema denticola chymotrypsin-like proteinase enzyme assists the bacteria to invade the tissues in case of the gum ailment. Researchers have found that it also activates other types of enzymes that promote the cancer cells which advance into the healthy tissues.

• Gum Ailment and Premature Birth – Conflicting results have surfaced on the association between gum disease and premature birth. Some of them highlight that women who have gum disease are more likely to deliver their baby before the stipulated time which enhance the health risks for the baby. Others have not found such a link. Again, some others have shown that treating the gum disease has helped pregnant ladies to carry their child to the full term. In fact, if the women complete their treatment before the 35^th week, they are less likely to deliver ahead of time as compared with those who haven’t gone for that type of therapy.

The above are some of the ways oral problems like plaque can lead to gum ailment which can cause a number of other issues. That is why taking care of your oral health by sticking to regular oral hygiene and going for an appointment with a reputed dentist in Bushwick at least twice a year is always recommended. This way you not just take care of the oral health but also your overall health to a great extent.

Author Bio

Nitesh Ranjan is a keen blogger associated with renowned brands of dentistry like the Patient Friendly Dental since many years now. Through his blogs he endeavours to assist the readers to maintain their oral health with smart solutions