How Oral Health Can Affect Our Overall Health

Are you aware that your oral health can affect your overall health? Proper oral hygiene can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums and protect your smile and appearance. However, at Lasting Smiles Dental Care in Las Vegas, we also emphasize the importance of maintaining healthy teeth and gums because it can also influence the health of the rest of your body.

The Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Health  

Oral Health Can Reflect General Health Issues

Sometimes when we have oral health issues it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the result of poor oral hygiene. Your oral health can be affected by health issues such as osteoporosis which can cause bone atrophy in the lower jaw or tooth loss. Some blood disorders can cause your gums to bleed. Furthermore, it has been shown that since diabetes can reduce the body’s ability to fight infections, it can increase the risk of gum disease. Therefore, we always advise our patients to inform us about changes in their health and the medications they are taking so we can help them optimize the condition of their oral health.

The Impact of Oral Health on Your Overall Health   

Poor oral health can have serious consequences on your overall health. To begin with, your mouth contains bacteria that assist in the breakdown of the food you eat. The bacteria in your mouth is generally harmless unless they are able to enter your bloodstream because of gum disease and cavities. What’s more, poor oral hygiene can cause a build-up of bacteria and dental plaque which can cause gum inflammation that can harm periodontal tissue. For example, a study conducted by M.A. Nazir (2017, International Journal of Health Science) reported that “periodontal disease is likely to cause 19% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease, and this increase in relative risk reaches to 44% among individuals aged 65 years and over.”

Studies have also shown that bacteria from infected teeth can affect the brain, respiratory infections and for those with diabetes, it can make controlling blood sugar levels more difficult. In fact, it has been reported that the relationship between gum disease and diabetes is reciprocal since studies have found that when diabetes is treated properly gum issues are minimized. Likewise, when you are able to treat periodontal disease, the need for insulin can be reduced. 

Taking Steps to Improve Your Oral Health

As we have explained, maintaining your oral health is vital to your overall health, therefore we’d like to suggest some of the basic actions you can take to protect your overall health. You can start by:

🦷️ brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day. Ideally, you should be brushing after every meal using fluoride toothpaste;

🦷️ using an antibacterial mouth rinse daily;

🦷️ minimizing sugary, starchy, and acidic foods and drinks;

🦷️ drinking at least 8 cups of water per day, preferably water containing fluoride to protect your teeth from tooth decay;

🦷️ reducing your alcohol intake;

🦷️ quitting smoking or chewing tobacco, and;

🦷️ visiting your dentist and hygienist at least twice a year for check-ups and cleanings.  

How Lasting Smiles Dental Care Can Help You

For over 30 years, Dr. Ghodsi and Lasting Smiles Dental Care in Las Vegas, has been helping patients maintain their oral health as well as a bright beautiful smile. Dr. Ghodsi and his team have helped thousands of patients reclaim their oral health and smile with cosmetic, implant, and reconstructive dentistry as well as general dentistry procedures. Replacing decaying and missing teeth with high-quality dental implants can help you regain your oral health, functionality, and your smile. Unlike other tooth replacement procedures, dental implants don’t require reducing or removing other teeth. Because nearby teeth are not used to support the implant, more of your original teeth are left untouched, improving long-term oral health.

If you would like to improve your oral health as well as your smile, our dentists will create a customized solution that works for you. There is no cookie-cutter approach when it comes to your smile. We believe in dental care that lasts a lifetime. Schedule a free consultation with our Las Vegas dentists today!