Oral Health and Its Impact on Overall Health

5 Ways Oral Health Impacts Your Overall Health

Poor oral health can affect your entire body, including your heart, brain, and blood. The body is made of multiple systems, but they’re all interconnected, which means that when one system isn’t functioning at its best, even distant areas of the body can pay the price. There is a particularly strong correlation between oral health and overall health. Patients with less-than-ideal oral health are often at risk of developing additional comorbidities such as:

1. Heart Disease

Harmful bacteria living in your mouth don’t just stay on your teeth. If it isn’t properly removed and cleaned on a regular basis, it can accumulate and can cause infection in the gums, which results in swelling. This irritation opens up the blood vessels, allowing the oral bacteria to enter the bloodstream and travel to other places in the body. That bacteria enters the heart and causes inflammation there, too, contributing to heart disease and the gradual hardening of the arteries.

It’s the bacteria itself that causes heart disease—rather, it’s the inflammation that arises in response to its presence. An inflamed heart is more prone to arterial deposits and small blood clots. In addition, when the heart is irritated, the arteries can swell, reducing the space through which blood can pass; this insufficient blood flow through the heart can lead to a heart attack. 

2. Stroke

The same mechanism that contributes to heart disease also connects oral bacteria with strokes. Inflammation throughout the body encourages the formation of blood clots, most commonly in the heart or legs. When these blood clots come loose from their point of origin, they can travel to critical points in the body and get stuck. If the clot goes to the brain and blocks blood flow, a stroke occurs. For the duration of a stroke, the brain isn’t receiving the blood (and therefore the oxygen) it needs, which is why strokes can be deadly or result in long-lasting cognitive consequences.

While strokes are the most noted consequence of blood clots formed from oral bacterial inflammation, clots can travel elsewhere and cause harm. For instance, if a blood clot becomes stuck in one of the venous branches of the lungs, it’s called a pulmonary embolism (PE). Those who experience PE struggle to get enough oxygen, and the affected lung(s) may collapse or sustain sufficient damage to prevent them from functioning properly. Pulmonary embolisms can be life-threatening.

3. Diabetes

Gingivitis and gum disease that develops from infected gums can lead to inflammation in other parts of the body. One of the biggest problems with this is that inflammation creates cytokines, or proteins that the immune system makes when it senses there’s a problem. These cytokines are doing their best to fix whatever issue the body is facing, but there’s a problem when they overproduce because as cytokines go about their duty, they get in the way of the insulin signal transduction system.

Insulin is a hormone that controls how much sugar is in the blood. If insulin is a smoothly functioning road, then cytokines are like trains that cut across the road and stop the flow of traffic every now and then. Cytokines prevent insulin from getting where it needs to be, causing the body to start having problems with blood sugar regulation. This is what causes diabetes, and it’s why problems in the oral cavity are so often a precursor to diabetes development.

What makes this even more challenging is that diabetes can also make oral health more difficult, creating a vicious and difficult cycle. Once you have diabetes, your saliva is often higher in glucose (sugar) because of your body’s inability to process insulin properly, providing the bacteria in your mouth with even more sugar to feed off of and more energy to continue their destructive processes. 

4. Respiratory Infections

The lungs are highly susceptible to bacteria, and the mouth provides a direct access point into the lungs and respiratory system. Those who are struggling with insufficient oral health harbor bacteria in the mouth and throat that can quickly and easily enter the lungs via the trachea. As the bacteria continues to grow and build up, there is more to be pushed into the lungs while breathing, coughing, or eating and drinking. Once inside the respiratory system, the bacteria can cause serious infections and respiratory conditions, all because of poor oral hygiene.

5. Pregnancy Complications/Child Oral Health

During pregnancy, the cytokines and inflammatory processes that the mother experiences also transfer to the baby through the umbilical cord, and this includes inflammation from oral health conditions like gingivitis and gum disease. Fetuses exposed to inflammation during their development are more likely to be born prematurely and at a low birth weight, which can threaten their survivability outside the womb. 

Additionally, new babies rely on their parents to develop the microbiome—that is, the wide array of living organisms on their skin and in their bodies—from birth. This is how babies establish a healthy biome that fights off infection and supports their development. When a mother’s mouth contains high levels of cariogenic bacteria (the ones that cause cavities and tooth decay), it is very easy for those bacteria to spread from the mother to the baby. Even before the baby has teeth, this cariogenic bacteria will start to populate the mouth, making the baby much more susceptible to poor oral health, cavities, and gum disease as it grows and develops.

How Preventive Dental Care Preserve Your Oral Health

When it comes to your oral health, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. Preventive, proactive care can help you and your family catch problems like cavities and gingivitis when they’re small and relatively easy (and affordable) to treat. They can also help you avoid developing problems in the first place. 

You can protect your oral health and your overall health with:

Regular Dental Visits

Seeing a dentist is an important part of keeping your mouth healthy. While daily brushing and flossing at home is essential, plaque and tartar can only be removed with the specialized tools used by a dentist. Twice yearly cleanings and checkups help keep plaque and tartar from building up and causing cavities, and they give your dentist a chance to identify potential problems early before they start to impact the rest of your body. 

Daily Oral Hygiene

In between dental visits, a good oral hygiene routine is the first line of defense against the buildup of bacteria in your mouth. Be sure to brush and floss daily to keep microorganisms at bay so they can’t establish a foothold in your mouth. 

Healthy Eating Habits

When it comes to caring for your oral health, what you eat matters. Sugary foods are fine as a once-in-awhile treat, but remember that sugars feed the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease. Similarly, highly acidic foods should be consumed with plenty of water to minimize the damage they can do to your enamel. The more nutritious the food you eat, the more vitamins and minerals your body has to fight infections, combat unwanted bacteria, and support your overall health.

Trust Your Family’s Oral Health to Dental Depot of Oklahoma

Your smile is yours for life, and at Dental Depot of Oklahoma, we’re committed to helping you care for it. From preventive care like cleanings, dental sealants, and fluoride treatment to restorative services like fillings, root canals, and dental implants, Dental Depot of Oklahoma offers all the comprehensive dental care you need in one convenient office. With multiple locations to choose from, you can visit the office that’s closest to you when it fits your busy schedule. 

It’s never too early or too late to start taking better care of your oral health and your overall health, so start today by scheduling an appointment with Dental Depot of Oklahoma. Your smile depends on it.