Dental Care

Does Oral Health Affect Overall Health?

Teeth are one of the most important assets a human has. Whether you are a male or a female you will undoubtedly love to have picture perfect, even white teeth.

In general, it is well known that there are so many bacteria in our mouths. Yuck, right? Well, you will have to accept it as a part of nature as there are many bacteria that we need for the proper functioning of our bodies. Getting rid of all bacteria may be more harmful to you than allowing a few extra to grow.

Have you ever thought that keeping teeth and the mouth as a whole clean may play a large role in keeping you healthy? If you did not, well, here are a few eye openers.

Heart disease

Yes, you read it right! Having bad oral hygiene may actually give you heart problems. Bacteria build up rapidly if you do not clean your mouth and your teeth regularly and these bacteria are known to make gum prone to infections. Your body automatically tries to cure such an infection and this may cause an inflammation which in turn may cause periodontitis which is a gum disease. The bacteria do not stop there. Contrary to the common belief that bacteria in the mouth will always remain in the mouth, they travel through the blood stream and may cause arteries to harden. We all know what happens when an artery is blocked right? The chances of having a heart attack is increased with blocked arteries.

So now you know that visiting the dentist in Townsville regularly may save you from a heart attack!

Dementia

Oh no, having bad teeth does not only affect your body, it may also affect your mind. In general dementia is the loss of the ability to act naturally. Commonly, this is evident in loss of memory. You may not remember simple things like what you had for dinner and if it is really bad, you may not even remember your own name. Dementia may also affect your reasoning ability and the attention span. This may even affect your language skills. So, all in all, you will not be able to do anything properly if you have dementia.So, if you thought a heart attack was bad, I can assure you having dementia is worse.

How does bad oral health cause dementia? Easy. The bacteria in the mouth travel up to the brain through the blood stream and kill the brain cells. The bacteria may also enter the nerve channels leading up to your brain and may cause issues. We all know how close our heads are to the mouths.

If you have ignored a bad tooth make sure to pay more attention and stop the infection at least before it reaches the root canal.

Other health issues

The above are not the only health issues caused by bad oral hygiene. It may lead to respiratory infections, diabetic complications if you have diabetics, pregnancy issues, cancer, arthritis, kidney issues, so on and so forth.

So stop and think twice the next time you feel like going to bed without brushing your teeth.