Clean teeth and gums provide more than just a pretty smile. They are a harbinger of total body health. Consistent sessions with your dentist and oral hygienist can also save your life, according to research.
Everyone knows that good oral hygiene, regular brushing, flossing and trips to your dentist, reduce tartar, plaque, cavities, gingivitis and bone loss. However, recent research additionally finds that low birth weight babies, heart disease and strokes are also linked to gum and bone disease in the mouth that can be prevented by regular teeth cleanings. Indeed, systematic visits to the dentist and hygienist may reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke and possibly heart attacks, plus decrease the likelihood of tooth loss for diabetics.
Here’s why. When you neglect your teeth, bacteria accumulate between the teeth. These bacteria then make their way into your blood system, clogging up arteries by contributing to the plaque that builds up on artery walls. Keeping the mouth clean improves the long-term function of endothelial cells, which line blood vessel walls. With better performing endothelial cells, plaques that cause heart disease will decrease, diminishing the risk of triggering a heart attack and repelling other injuries and medical maladies.
Likewise, there has been found to be a direct link between gum disease and diabetes. Gum disease is known to increase the risk of diabetes and vice versa. That’s because inflammatory periodontal diseases seem to increase insulin in the same way as obesity does. Meanwhile, diabetics are at increased risk of gum diseases and related infections.
Make sure you visit your dentist and hygienist at least biannually. You’ll look better, feel better and actually be better.
Kimberly Rosen has been practicing dentistry in the Santa Clarita Valley for 15 years.
For more information, please call 661-255-2545.