Ignoring Gum Disease Can Affect Your Overall Health

Posted by ridgetopdental on September 7th, 2015

Gum diseases not just take their toll on your oral health, but also on your general well being. Modern technology and advances in dental sciences have increased our understanding of oral diseases and their connection with our physical health.

Recent studies have indicated that periodontal diseases may put you at increased risk of heart disease, respiratory tract diseases and diabetes. Let’s read more about how gum diseases may lead to other diseases, in this article by Ridgetop Dental-the best Northern Virginia Dental Clinic.

Heart diseases

There are many researches that explain the link between gum diseases and heart diseases. According to one theory, when the oral bacteria strains enter your bloodstream, they are carried via bloodstream through the body, where they cause blood clot formation and narrowing of the coronary arteries, which puts patients at increased risk of a heart attack.

Another theory states that when inflammation caused by gum disease causes a significant plaque buildup, it leads to swelling in the arteries, thus causing heart disease.

 Diabetes

According to some recent researches, gum diseases are more prevalent in people with pre-existing diabetes condition; this is because diabetics are more prone to infections. Also people with diabetes have more harmful protein in their gum that causes damage to gum tissue and that’s the reason why diabetic people who visit Ridgetop Dental for dentures in Northern Virginiaare first advised to manage their diabetes.

Conversely, periodontal disease can lead to increase in blood sugar levels which make diabetes even worse and difficult to manage.

The connection between gum disease and diabetes has been very well documented.

 Respiratory tract diseases

Researches indicate, if you have gum disease, you may be at increased risk of developing respiratory tract disease, especially if you are elderly. You can acquire respiratory tract infection and develop chronic pulmonary diseases such as-bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema, through the fine droplets containing bacteria that originate in the oral cavity. According to some theories, bacteria found in our mouth as well as in our throat, can be drawn into the lower respiratory tract, causing infections or making existing lung conditions even worse.

Premature labor in pregnant women

If you are going to give birth to a baby, then you should take special care of your oral health. Pregnancy causes unexpected hormonal changes in your body, which can exaggerate your teeth and gum problems. Some recent researches suggest that there is a connection between pre-term delivery, low weighing babies, and gum disease. Bacteria from your mouth can enter the bloodstream through your gums; that bacteria can travel to the uterus, triggering the production of a hormone called prostaglandins, which can induce premature labor.

This was some basic information about the link between gum diseases and other diseases of our body. For any other questions you may have regarding this topic, feel free to contact the experts at Ridgetop Dental-the premier Sterling Dental Clinic. The dentists at Ridgetop Dental will be more than happy to address all your concerns in the most patient manner.

The experts at Ridgetop Dental believe that a healthy smile is the key to a healthy body; that’s why they make best efforts to eliminate oral health issues, not just by their expert treatment, but also by educating their patients.

For more information, visit-http://www.ridgetopdental.com/