Hello, I’m Dr. Alex Bergren, Associate Dentist at McGann Family Dental.
“If you don’t take care of your teeth…” started my family dentist. I was 12 years old and hadn’t been flossing. I internally, and maybe also externally, rolled my eyes. Sorry, Dr. Hutchinson! Everyone has heard it. Everyone has ignored it. The dentist isn’t the most fun place to be. But what if I told you, taking care of your oral health is one of the simplest ways to help your overall health. Too good to be true, right?
From head to toe, your mouth has impacts on your body you may not even know. Starting with the head, you have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s with chronic gum disease. Your mouth bacteria over time can quite literally drastically affect your brain health. Looking at the heart, you are more likely to die from a stroke or heart attack if you are diagnosed with periodontal disease. Continued poor oral hygiene also increases your risk of pneumonia and respiratory infections. Let’s not forget about the bones and joints! A significant connection has been found between people with periodontal disease and osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Pregnant mothers with gum disease are at increased risk for pre-eclampsia. Men with gum disease are at increased risk for erectile dysfunction.
What’s even crazier is how your oral health doesn’t just affect you. A parent’s oral health can impact their child. Babies born to mothers with gum disease have an increased risk of being born with low birth weight. Kids with parents, especially mothers, who have higher than normal rate of cavities have an increased risk of cavities themselves, and the connections above are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how your oral health affects your overall health.
Beyond being linked to many health concerns, your mouth acts like a canary in the coal mine. Oftentimes, you see changes in your mouth before you see systemic changes in your body. Ever smelled someone’s breath with undiagnosed diabetes? It can smell fruity or like acetone because the body isn’t getting enough insulin to break down sugars so it’s forced to use other fuel sources, like fat, which has a by-product that makes your breath smell sweet. If you’ve ever been to the vet, they will often check an animal’s gums. It’s a simple check if they suspect anemia, and it’s the same for people! Weird, right?! Someone with anemia will have gums that usually appear pale and may be more swollen and irritated due to the body’s lower immune defenses from low iron.
If someone is meticulous about brushing and flossing but is still getting a lot of cavities, they might want to consider a couple things. First, are they a mouth breather? Mouth breathing dries out the mouth, making you more cavity prone and weakening your existing fillings. They may have sleep apnea and want to see their primary care physician or dentist for a referral. OR do they wake up with a really gross taste in their mouth? They may have GERD, another name for severe acid reflux, which keeps their teeth in an acidic environment and increases their risk for cavities. Again, talk with your primary care physician and dentist.
In short, your mouth has many bacteria in it. Some good, and some bad. The issue is they can travel throughout the body and cause problems. The other problem is research has only identified a handful of the bad bacteria, and the way to get rid of them also kills the good bacteria (which we need to keep our bodies happy). The big question is, how can we prevent issues in our mouth and body?
So my childhood dentist was right all along. You should see your dentist routinely for exams, and brush and floss daily, because your mouth is a gateway for bacteria to travel to the rest of your body. And it’s best to deal with the bad bacteria before it travels further. That’s it. That’s the wisdom. It’s this advice from my childhood dentist that has stayed with me and helps me better care for my patients every single day.
HAPPY BRUSHING (and flossing)
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