Poor dental health can affect you emotionally, but did you know it can also affect you physically? If your tooth health is poor, you may find yourself not often smiling or hiding your smile. You may be self-conscious and miss out on attending events where you feel people will judge you. This is important, but your dental health indicates something much greater than simply the way you look. It can indicate illness within your body, and in some cases, even cause that illness. Making appointments for routine dental exams and cleanings can help you take care of your dental health and ensure your overall wellbeing.
How Dental Health Affects Your Heart
The bacteria that create plaque on your teeth are the same bacteria that create plaque in your arteries and other blood vessels. This plaque hardens and narrows the blood vessels, making it difficult for blood to get through. This means your heart has to work harder. It also means that less good blood reaches the vital organs within your body. If you have plaque on your teeth, you are not only at risk of getting cavities but are also at risk of having a heart attack. You may find your blood pressure becomes high or that organs throughout your body begin to suffer from the proper blood flow. The bacteria can also cause infection in your blood, creating a dangerous situation.
Diabetes and Your Dental Health
Diabetes and your dental health appear to be directly connected. First, there is the fact that the same sugar that damages your teeth will also cause problems with your blood sugar. This isn’t all, however. Poor tooth health has been shown to make it more difficult to control your diabetes. Part of this is an infection in your pancreas and kidneys from the bacteria entering your bloodstream. Another problem is those bad teeth can affect what and how you eat. With diabetes, a proper diet is essential to maintain proper glucose levels. Things like pain and stress also raise your blood sugar. Pain from cavities, sore gums, or other dental issues can make it hard to maintain low sugar readings.
Tooth Health Affects Your Brain
Your mouth is very close to your brain. The connection is so close that it is deemed an emergency if you have an abscess to get an antibiotic as soon as possible. If the abscess bursts, the poison can cause an infection in your brain. This is also possible if the bacteria that cause plaque travels through your bloodstream and reaches your brain. An infection could occur that damaged parts of the brain and contributes to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. If other areas are infected, you could have a stroke. There is also the possibility of a life-threatening infection developing that isn’t easy to treat.
Your Lungs Are in Danger
When there are bacteria in your mouth, the possibility of breathing them into your lungs is strong. When this happens, the bacteria start to multiply and cause problems with your lungs. Over time, you may end up with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or experience regular bouts of either bronchitis or pneumonia. This can be especially likely if you already have a compromised immune system.
Reach Out to Lovett Dental Beaumont Today
If you want to keep your teeth as healthy as possible, reach out to Lovett Dental Beaumont at 409-924-8100 and set up an appointment. Your dental health affects you from your head to your toes, and we want to help ensure that your tooth health is as good as it can be. Contact our office today and see what we can do for you to help keep your smile bright. You’ll end up feeling much better all around.
