You can enhance and increase your overall health and quality of life by paying attention to your gums and teeth. Oral medicine has identified a direct relationship between your oral health, your cardiac health, and your entire well-being.

We can broadly describe this relationship as a link between inflammatory conditions and oral health. In the earliest stages of gum disease, the bacterial infection is called gingivitis which often has no symptoms. Without treatment, in its more extreme form, it is called periodontitis which can result in tooth loss and bone loss. Whether mild, moderate or severe, periodontal (gum) disease has been linked to your cardiac health, causing the thickening of our cardiac arteries, clotting problems, and stroke. Research has also identified a relationship between gum disease and low birth weight, premature babies, respiratory inflammation, and uncontrolled diabetes.

How are they linked? Bacterial infection causes swelling of the gums which increases blood to the capillaries in periodontal (gum) pockets. This creates ease of entry for bacteria into the cardiac system. It is easy to see how readily this can influence all aspects of our health simply because we have only one circulatory system.

It is also understood that this bacteria-filled environment changes the pH of the oral cavity and the blood stream. Higher counts of bacteria will create a more acidic environment. The inflammatory state is an acidic state. The suffix itis (pronounced eye-tis) means inflammation: gums- gingivitis; bone- periodontitis; joints- arthritis; heart- endocarditis. So we can understand that there is a relationship between bacterial plaque, pH balance, inflammation, and a range of diseases.

Our bodies are capable of maintaining optimal health if given proper environmental influences including lifestyle, nutrition, and good, preventive dental care.

So help us, help you, keep your mouth and body healthy. Therefore, regular three-month, four-month, or six-month visits can have a beneficial effect on your overall health. Therapeutic scaling, brushing, and flossing can be your first- and very effective- defense for the prevention of oral diseases as well as other more serious system illnesses.