Reasons to cultivate dental health
When we ask our patients at Byfleet Dental why they think dental health is important, the common answer is – to keep their smile healthy and happy and bright. While this is without doubt a good answer, ask our dentist in West Byfleet the same question and the answer looks a bit different.
For our dentist in West Byfleet, excellent dental health has positive implications for overall health; that is, physical health and mental wellbeing. The condition of a patient’s teeth and gums can be quite telling when deciding what the patient’s general health is like. Upon carrying out a physical oral health check, our dentist in West Byfleet can tell if a patient has diabetes or if there is an increased likelihood of heart disease and related complications.
The ability to glean information about a patient’s health just by examining teeth and gums supports the long-held view by our dental experts that oral health has a direct relation to general health. In this post, we outline how some of the common dental complaints like gum disease can trigger negative consequences for the rest of the body.
How poor oral health issues impact general health
To understand how dental health can have an impact on general health, it will help to remember that the mouth is connected to the body and provides an entry-way for food to reach the digestive system, from where nutrients extracted can be dispatched to various parts of the body.
Aiding and abetting the body’s nutritional needs can be seen as one of the main aims of a well-functioning mouth. Should a patient experience a problem with eating, this can call into question how well the body is fed the nourishment it needs to function properly and to remain strong to fend off illness and disease.
The link between dental disease, say gum disease and the increased risk of unwanted medical conditions like heart disease has everything to do with the overabundance of bad oral bacteria in the mouth. The imbalance of bacteria in favour of the bad kind in the mouth is created when oral hygiene is neglected. It is these harmful pathogens that lead to the development of gum disease.
The problem with these disease-causing pathogens is that they are not confined to just causing mayhem in the mouth; they can deftly enter the bloodstream from where they can get to vulnerable parts of the body. Medical studies have found evidence of oral pathogens like Streptococcus gordonii, responsible for causing periodontitis, in the blood vessels of the heart where they increase the risk of blood clots.
Gum disease offers another worrying concern for pregnant women. This poor oral health condition raises the risk of premature births and low birth weights.
So it seems that taking deliberate care of your teeth and gums is equally beneficial to overall health as it is to dental health. To continue keeping your mouth functioning well and disease-free, have your teeth routinely examined by our dentist. To arrange an appointment, simply give our reception desk a call.