Many individuals aren’t aware of the importance of proper dental care. There are many negative consequences to poor oral hygiene. Not addressing dental concerns can also be detrimental to health. Proper oral hygiene can prevent many medical issues. If you don’t take proper care at your teeth, your teeth can decay. This can lead to you feeling unnecessary pain. You may even find that your teeth are extremely sensitive and that you bite into food and feel pain.
Many do not realize that the condition of their mouth is a window into their overall health. The mouth can tell you what is going on within the body. In fact, there can be signs and warnings in the mouth of the disease. These diseases can affect your entire body, not just your mouth. AIDS and diabetes are conditions that may have symptoms or signs in the mouth.
A good diagnostic tool is saliva. Saliva can be tested for substances. Newborns can be tested for stress responses through their salvia. Saliva contains some cancer markers. Toxins, antibodies, illegal drugs, HIV, and hepatitis can also be tested for in salvia. Saliva also protects you against bacteria and viruses that can be harmful. There are antibodies in saliva that protect against pathogens. Histatins are also in saliva. The proteins in saliva can be weakened by poor oral health. This can result in infection and illness.
Dental plague, when not properly addressed, can lead to health issues if you fail to keep your teeth healthy. Plaque can lead to gingivitis. Gingivitis can lead to periodontitis. You can also end up with trench mouth. When your immune system is healthy, it’s not an issue for oral bacteria to make its way to the bloodstream. However, anytime the immune system is weak as if you have cancer, this bacteria can lead to infection. Endocarditis can even occur, which is when the bacteria actually sticks to the lining of heart valves.
Gum infection can cause tooth loss. Research actually suggests an association exists between infections in the mouth and other diseases, such as pre-term birth, heart problems, and diabetes. Gum disease increases the risk of diabetes. Chronic gum disease can mean that it is harder to control your diabetes. If an infection occurs, it can lead to insulin resistance. Bacteria can lead to clogged arteries and cause blood clots. Oral bacteria may also cause inflammation to occur in the entire body. This includes the arteries of the heart. The inflammation can be a base for atherosclerotic plaques to develop. This can put you at a higher risk of heart attack. Gum disease increases the likelihood of stroke. There is research that actually states a correlation between an increased risk of stroke and heart attack and gum infections. Severe gum disease is also associated with pre-term delivery. Some research suggests that low-weight births can also occur.
Having good oral hygiene and addressing any issues that arise as soon as possible is a good way to prevent major health issues.
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