Mouth
Preventing Gum Disease
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is caused when bacteria in plaque (a sticky, colourless film that forms in the mouth) builds up between gums and teeth. If the plaque is left undisturbed, the gums surrounding the tooth can become inflamed. This first stage is called gingivitis.
If left untreated, this inflammation can progress to become periodontitis, which causes the gums and supporting bone structure to break down and leads to eventual tooth loss. In addition, research has shown that gum disease may be linked with other diseases, such as diabetes.
Luckily, periodontal disease can be prevented and treated.
Adding these habits to your daily routine can help keep your gums healthy.
Brush your teeth. Brushing for two minutes twice a day helps remove food debris and plaque trapped on and around your teeth and gums. Don’t forget to include your tongue, bacteria love to hide there.
Clean Between. Did you know that toothbrushing alone cleans only 60% of the tooth surfaces? To ensure that you reach all surfaces, clean between the teeth at least once a day. This helps remove food particles and plaque from between teeth and along the gum line that your toothbrush can’t quite reach.
Know your risk. Poor oral hygiene, smoking, age, family history and diet can all increase your risk for gum disease. If you are at increased risk, ask your dental professional for advice.
Have regular dental check-ups. A dental check-up is not just about your teeth. It will include a review of plaque level, gums, bone structure and other risk factors for gum disease. Identifying symptoms of gum disease early is key to protecting your teeth and gums. Regular dental check-ups are important as they will also include a full examination of your mouth, tongue and surrounding areas, such as your throat, to ensure that everything is healthy.
Pancreas
Diabetes and Gum Disease
Diabetes is a condition where the body is not able to control blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels over time will cause damage to other parts of the body, for example, the eyes, kidneys and heart.
Research has suggested that the relationship between diabetes and gum disease goes both ways – gum disease may make it more difficult for people who have diabetes to control their blood sugar and diabetics are more likely to develop gum disease.
People with diabetes are more likely to have gum disease than people without diabetes, probably because they are more prone to infections. In fact, gum disease is often considered a complication of diabetes. Diabetics who don’t have their diabetes under control are especially at risk of gum disease and diabetic complications. Gum disease will increase the risk for those complications.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Heart
Coronary Heart Disease, Blocked Arteries and Gum Disease
Coronary heart disease is the term that describes what happens when your heart's blood supply is blocked or interrupted in the coronary arteries due to plaque formation. This may cause chest pain (angina) or even a heart attack since the blocked arteries (atherosclerosis) can’t supply enough blood to the heart muscle.
Any arteries in the body can be blocked (narrowed and hardened), and depending on where, this may cause different problems over time, such as stroke (brain), heart attack (heart) or thrombus (leg). Inflammation plays an important role in the development of blocked arteries.
Expert opinion suggests that people with gum disease are at higher risk for many of these diseases, and reports show that professional treatment results in reduced inflammation in the blood for patients suffering from atherosclerosis.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Lung
Lung Disease and Gum Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the name for a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease. People with lung diseases have difficulties breathing, primarily due to the narrowing of their airways. This is called airflow obstruction.
Research has found that bacteria that grow in the mouth can end up in the lungs to cause respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, especially in people with gum disease.
Periodontal diseases and respiratory diseases have common risk factors, such as smoking, increasing age and obesity. There might be a link between periodontal disease and respiratory diseases, as chronic inflammation drives both diseases.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Hands
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gum Disease
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease causing inflammation in the joints leading to destruction and deformities. Rheumatoid arthritis and gum disease are both inflammatory diseases, and research suggests that they can contribute to making each other worse; a two-way process where people with rheumatoid arthritis can have higher rates of gum disease, and gum disease, in some patients, seems to be associated with increasing rheumatoid arthritis activity. There may be an association between a harmful type of bacteria, found in the inflamed dental pockets in people with gum disease, which is thought to stimulate disease activity leading to possible rheumatoid flares. Treatment of gum disease may improve the symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation which is a benefit to everyone.
Stomach
Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Gum Disease
Due to hormone changes during pregnancy, many women will suffer from gingivitis. Even small amounts of plaque left on and around the teeth during pregnancy will result in an exaggerated response in the gums. Pregnant women with gum disease may find that their condition worsens if they are not maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene. Gum treatment and good oral hygiene might have a positive effect on pregnancy, especially in those women with a known high risk of low birth weight or preterm birth.
Guidelines advise that it is safe to carry out gum treatment during pregnancy, preferably during the second trimester. For many pregnant women, it is a good time to start new and improved habits.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Cancer and Gum Disease
Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably. The cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including organs.
There is an increasing interest in the link between periodontitis and overall cancer risk. The circulating inflammation caused by gum disease and transfer of harmful bacteria from the dental pockets into the bloodstream might be the connection. However, evidence for this is not strong.
There are many common risk factors between gum disease and cancer, such as smoking, age, alcohol and family history.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Kidneys
Chronic Kidney Diseases and Gum Disease
Chronic kidney disease can range from a mild condition with no or few symptoms to a very serious condition where the kidneys stop working, sometimes called kidney failure.
Research suggests that there could be an association between gum disease and chronic kidney diseases. The bacteria from the dental pocket in patients with gum disease and the circulating inflammation that this causes seems to be the connection.
Professional treatment of gum and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Head
Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gum Disease
Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning (also known as neurodegeneration). It can affect memory, thinking skills and other mental abilities. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia.
The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is not yet fully understood, although a number of things are thought to increase the risk of developing the condition such as age and family history.
Inflammation within the brain is one of the features of this disease. Research suggests the inflammation from conditions such as untreated gum disease can add to the burden of the circulating inflammation.
Parkinson’s disease is a condition where the brain becomes progressively damaged over many years. This damage is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain which results in difficulty of movement, for example. Exactly what causes the loss of nerve cells is unclear although circulating inflammation is probably involved.
Most experts think that a combination of family history and environmental poisons such as pesticides and other pollutants could be involved.
Current research into the possible links between neurodegenerative disease and gum disease are not well understood. For both conditions, some experts suggest that the circulating inflammation from untreated gum disease could be a link.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Knee
Psoriasis and Gum Disease
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease and people with psoriasis may have other diseases as well. It is unknown why people fall ill but probably involves family history and environmental factors, such as stress, nutrition, infection, excessive alcohol intake and obesity. The suggested connection with gum disease is thought to be explained by the increased inflammation in the blood.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
skeleton
Osteoporosis and Gum Disease
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a minor fall or sudden impact causes a bone fracture.
Risk factors for osteoporosis are age, gender (osteoporosis is most prevalent in postmenopausal women), low weight, ethnicity (white and Asian women are at higher risk), genetics, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, smoking and insufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D.
The exact relationship between osteoporosis and gum diseases is not understood, but we do know that they share some of the same risk factors, such as smoking, age, family history and hormonal fluctuations/disruption. The inflammation present in the blood due to gum disease could add to the bone damage linked with osteoporosis.
Professional treatment of gum disease and good oral hygiene will result in a healthier mouth with less inflammation, which is a benefit to everyone.
Lifestyle
Keeping your mouth clean and fresh is not just about good looks. The quality of your oral hygiene affects your oral health, as well as your ability to eat and chew what you like and to confidently smile and interact with people. Today there is convincing scientific support that your oral hygiene also effects your whole body. Therefore, taking care of your oral health is actually an investment in your overall well-being.
You come a long way by making simple lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy, balanced diet, undertaking daily exercise, limiting alcohol consumption, cutting out tobacco, reducing our stress levels where possible and brushing our teeth effectively, which includes cleaning between all of the teeth daily.
Adopting these lifestyle changes will reduce the amount of inflammation circulating in the body, which will help us stay healthier and active for longer.
