Recently, scientists have correlated between bad oral hygiene and myriad general health problems; like heart diseases, diabetes, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and premature birth. Though the causes and effects are not yet well established, the list of health problems is increasing as studies continues.
Normally, the healthy gingiva looks firm and pink in color, but when the gingiva is inflamed it becomes red, swollen and bleeds easily.
Unfortunately, gingivitis is usually accompanied with plaque accumulation. Plaque is a sticky biofilm loaded with bacteria. Plaque is formed frequently on the surface of your teeth; you can only get rid of it by performing good oral hygiene measures regularly, i.e. Tooth brushing and dental flossing.
The main problem with plaque that it is so sticky and it can keep bacterial acids in direct contact with your teeth for several hours, allowing them to eat your teeth enamel causing tooth caries.
Plaque can also cause your gingiva to be edematous and inflamed; this condition is known as gingivitis; when gingivitis progresses it will cause severe destruction of periodontal ligament and bony supporting structure of the tooth, causing periodontitis.
American Journal of Cardiology and American Academy of Periodontology have published a paper in Journal of Periodontology; revealing the strong relationship between cardiac diseases and gum diseases, in fact, myriad clinical studies have suggested that people with bad oral hygiene are more likely to develop cardio-vascular diseases, including sudden heart attacks.
Furthermore, gum diseases, especially gingivitis, are major signs of having diabetes. Experts believe that high blood sugar levels in cases of uncontrolled diabetes causes bacteria in oral cavity to flourish, leading to all types of gingival and periodontal problems.
Can you believe that scientists prove that gum diseases are amongst the main causes of dementia in elderly?!!
Other clinical researches have reported that individuals with worst periodontal and gingival diseases have shown the least scores in calculation and memory tests.
A recent study performed in 2009, find that patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (auto-immune disease manifested by inflamed painful joints) have shown improvement in their RA condition when their periodontal problems were treated. Actually, it is proved that people suffering from RA are suffering from severe periodontal diseases as well.
Despite the controversy about role of gum disease in premature birth; a recent study revealed that pregnant women who finished the treatment of their periodontal problems before 35th week of pregnancy were less likely to have premature birth of their babies than those pregnant women who don’t receive treatment to their periodontal diseases.
Believe me! You are making yourself a big favor when you brush your teeth.
