What is the impact of oral health on overall longevity?
I want to share with you something that blew my mind when I first read about it: people with healthy teeth and gums can live up to 7 to 10 years longer than those that don't have healthy teeth and gums. Wow! That just goes to show how important it is to maintain the health of your mouth.
How is oral health related to cardiovascular health?
Believe it or not, the bacteria that live in your gums can actually make their way deeper and deeper into your gums to the point where they hitchhike into your bloodstream. When you have bacteria floating around in your bloodstream, it is prone to land in places where you may not want it to land, one of those places being your heart. So, we know that those who have gum disease are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Another way this happens is indirectly through inflammation. When you have gum disease, your body is trying to defend itself against the bacteria, so it will create an inflammatory response. Well, that inflammation doesn't just stay in your gums; it floats throughout the rest of your body through your bloodstream. I don't know about you, but I know that the heart is a muscle, and I don't want my heart muscle to be inflamed.
What is the connection between oral health and diabetes?
Diabetes is on the rise in our country and has become a pandemic. We know that individuals that have gum disease are at higher risk for diabetes, or if they've already been diagnosed with diabetes, they will have a more difficult time managing their blood sugar and keeping their diabetes numbers—A1C, as we call it—under control. I had a patient in his mid-50s that I treated for periodontal disease, and he came back about a month later and told me he hadn't felt that good in 10 years. He was finally able to manage his diabetes and was feeling great. So definitely, if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes or you're just at risk for diabetes—maybe it runs in your family—definitely don't neglect the health of your mouth.
How does oral health impact pregnancy?
Not a lot of people realize that the health of your teeth and gums can relate to the health of a pregnancy. Women that have periodontal disease are actually at higher risk for delivering a low birth weight baby. The other thing we know from studies is that women who have cavities or gum disease, as their baby grows, will pass the bacteria that live in their mouth to their child, and their child then becomes at higher risk for those same processes, whether cavities or gum disease. So if you are a mother or you're expecting, it's very important to take care of your mouth so you can pass on good health to your baby.
Can oral health be related to cancer?
Nobody wants to hear about cancer; it is very scary to hear that diagnosis. But let's talk a little more about how oral health is related to cancers. There are certain types of cancers that have been connected to gum disease, specifically pancreatic cancer. Other than that, we know that oral cancer is a possibility, even though oral cancer is more rare than some other types of cancer. You can come in every six months, and we do a routine oral cancer screening. Early detection is key for all types of cancer, so we recommend that even if you have no teeth—let's say you have dentures—you should still visit the dentist at least once a year to have an oral cancer screening done.
What is the effect of oral health on the immune system?
When you have uncontrolled bacteria in your mouth, did you know that it lowers your immune system? Back in 2020, researchers reminded us of the fact that if you can keep your teeth and gums healthy, your immune system will actually respond better against threats like viruses. So if you want to bounce back faster against the cold, flu, or COVID, keep your teeth and gums healthy, and your immune system will thank you.