Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body

Poor dental health can cause problems for the rest of your body. Some problems may include:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Giving birth to premature or low-birth weight babies
• Lung disease

There is a lot of research surrounding the links between gum disease and other health issues.

Oral Health & The Heart

People with gum disease are twice more likely to develop heart disease than people with healthy gums.

When people have gum disease, it is thought that bacteria from the mouth can find its way into the bloodstream. The protein produced by bacteria causes the platelets in the blood to stick together in the blood vessels of the heart, which makes clots more likely to form.

If blood flow is badly effected it could lead to a heart attack.

How could diabetes effect my dental health?

People with diabetes are more likely to develop gum disease than people without it.

This could be due to the fact that diabetics are more susceptible to infection in general. People with undiagnosed diabetes are especially at risk of developing gum disease.

If you have diabetes, be sure to visit your dentist regularly who can make an early diagnosis of gum disease. It is important to identify gum disease where present, as it can increase your blood sugar, which could cause complications for diabetics.

Gum Disease & Pregnancy

Pregnant women who have gum disease may be over three times more likely to have a baby that is premature and so has a low birth weight. There is a one-in-four chance that a pregnant woman with gum disease will give birth before 35 weeks.

It is thought that gum disease may raise the levels of the chemicals that bring on labour. Research also suggests that women whose gum disease gets worse during pregnancy have an even higher risk of having a premature baby.

Having gum disease treated properly during pregnancy can reduce the risk of a premature birth.

Gums & Lungs

Bacterial chest infections are thought to be caused by breathing in fine droplets from the throat and mouth into the lungs. This can cause infections, such as pneumonia, or could make an existing condition worse. People with gum disease have more bacteria in their mouths and may therefore be more likely to get chest infections. This particularly affects frail, elderly people where pneumonia caused by breathing in bacteria from their mouth can be fatal. Good oral hygiene for this group of people is therefore particularly important.

Signs & Symptoms

• Inflammation of the gums, causing them to be red, swollen and to bleed easily, especially when brushing

• Unpleasant taste in your mouth

• Bad breath

• Loose teeth

• Frequent mouth infections.

Be sure to visit your dentist regularly, or contact our team to arrange an appointment with one of our specialists who will be able to give you an accurate diagnosis and prepare a course of treatment to best suit your needs.

Tel: 01727 800 372