Online Patient FormsWhen you are sick, doesn’t your complexion change, don’t your eyes look dull, and doesn’t your mind feel slower? Imagine how a chronic infection in your gum tissue might impact your body. Oral Systemic Health is a topic your dentist, periodontist, cardiologist, and other physicians understand and care about. Smile Design Dentistry is eager to share with Florida’s residents this important message:
The oral bacteria that cause infection in the mouth spread throughout the blood stream to cause inflammation throughout the body.
Many recent studies have concluded there is a link between oral health and systemic diseases. The link has been demonstrated to be bi-directional in the case of diabetes. This means that if you have gum disease, it will be more difficult to control blood sugar, and if your blood sugar is not controlled, it will be more difficult for your body to fight gum infection. Individuals with heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, metabolic disorders, immune deficiency, and more conditions are at risk of their systemic health problems becoming worse if gum disease is allowed to become chronic.
If you have a systemic disease condition, you should be concerned about the development of gingivitis (gum inflammation) and very concerned if the gum infection has advanced to periodontitis. Once gum infection sets in, it can become a lifetime battle. If you haven’t had a professional dental cleaning or exam in the last six months, it’s time you do. More frequent oral health care may be recommended for those who have a history of gum inflammation, a genetic susceptibility to gum disease, or the onset of (or high risk factors for) diabetes, cardiovascular disease or autoimmune diseases.
Over half of the adults in America have gum disease, and many don’t realize they have it. When this becomes chronic in a mouth and goes untreated, the periodontal tissue is damaged by infection, teeth become loose and lost. But, when oral health care professionals and their patients work together to keep oral bacteria under control, and when nutrition is excellent, there are dramatic improvements—even for patients with diabetes.
Don’t suspect gum inflammation and do nothing about it! Do you see bleeding when your brush and floss your teeth? Is any of your gum tissue red, puffy, or sore? It’s time for a prophylactic dental cleaning and exam. Call your local Smile Design office today!