Your oral health doesn’t only affect your overall health, but it can offer doctors important clues here as well. With this in mind, you should know that the best way to take care of yourself is to learn more about this important connection.
The Connection Between Your Oral Health and Your Overall Health
Your mouth contains a lot of bacteria. Good oral health care, coupled with your body’s natural defenses will typically make these bacteria harmless. However, when you don’t take good care of your oral hygiene, the bacteria can cause infections including gum diseases and tooth decay.
There are also some medications that reduce saliva flow. They include antidepressants, decongestants, diuretics, painkillers, and antihistamines. This is bad because you need your saliva to wash away food particles and neutralize the acid in your mouth.
Conditions Linked to Poor Oral Hygiene
There are several different conditions that research studies have linked to poor oral hygiene. One of the main ones being cardiovascular disease. This makes sense because you develop this disease when you have clogged arteries, which is caused by inflammation and infections like those you can get in your mouth.
Pregnant mothers should also realize the importance of good oral hygiene. This is because women with periodontitis have been shown to not only go into labor prematurely, but also have babies with a low birth weight.
Health Conditions Affect Your Oral Health
You should also know that other health conditions such as diabetes, HIV, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease can affect your oral health. All these things are interconnected, so if you have any further questions about this connection, please don’t hesitate to give our office a call and set up a time to come in and discuss it with us. We want you to know that we value your health just as much as you do, so don’t hesitate in contacting us.
