Many people think that skipping a few nights of brushing or flossing is a minor habit that only leads to a less than perfect smile.
Your mouth acts as a gateway to your entire system where bacteria can grow and travel through your blood to impact your heart and lungs.
If you are not careful about your oral hygiene routines, you might find that small infections in your gums turn into major health problems that affect your heart and brain.
Defining Periodontal Disease and Bacterial Growth
Periodontal disease starts when the natural bacteria in your mouth begins to grow out of control because of leftover food particles and poor cleaning habits.
While some bacteria help you digest your meals, too much of it creates a sticky film called plaque that irritates the skin around your teeth and causes inflammation.
If you do not remove this plaque every day, it eventually hardens into a substance called tartar which is impossible to clean off with a regular toothbrush or floss.
Only a professional dentist in Colorado using specialized tools can get rid of tartar once it has bonded to your teeth and started pushing your gums away.
This separation creates deep pockets where more bacteria hide and begin to destroy the bone structure that holds your teeth firmly in place within your jaw.
Identifying the Three Stages of Gum Disease
The first stage of this condition is gingivitis which you can usually spot if your gums look red or swollen or if they bleed when you brush.
You can typically reverse gingivitis by improving your daily cleaning habits and visiting a professional for a standard cleaning to remove any early buildup of plaque and tartar.
Once the condition moves into stage two or stage three it becomes known as periodontitis which is a chronic infection that stays with you for your whole life.
In these later stages the infection creates large spaces between the teeth and gums that trap food and rot the tissue until your teeth start to feel loose.
While you can manage these advanced stages with the help of a specialist, you cannot completely cure the damage once the bone and tissue have started to disappear.
Professional Treatment for Advanced Infections
Treating advanced gum disease requires a deep cleaning process known as scaling and root planing where a professional scrapes away the tartar from beneath the gumline.
Some modern offices use a diode laser to sterilize the infected pockets and remove damaged tissue with high precision so that your mouth has a better chance to heal.
After a deep cleaning you might need to use topical antibiotics placed directly into the gum pockets to kill any remaining bacteria that are hiding in the deep spaces.
You will also need to come in for more frequent checkups every few months to make sure the infection stays under control and does not lead to total tooth loss.
The Connection Between Gums and Heart Health
Scientists have discovered that the toxic irritants found in mouth bacteria can enter your bloodstream and travel to your heart where they cause dangerous levels of internal inflammation.
This inflammation can cause your arteries to clog and create blockages that significantly increase your risk of experiencing a heart attack or a sudden stroke during your later years.
Because gum disease is an active bacterial contagion it does not stay in your mouth but instead spreads throughout your entire body and puts stress on your cardiovascular system.
Keeping your gums healthy is one of the easiest ways to protect your heart from the silent damage caused by toxins that flow through your veins every day.
How Diabetes and Gum Disease Interact
Diabetes and gum disease have a unique relationship where they both make each other much worse because they both impact how your immune system handles localized infections.
When your body tries to fight off the bacteria in your mouth it disrupts your blood sugar levels and makes it much harder for you to manage your diabetes symptoms.
People with diabetes also have a harder time fighting off gum infections which means the disease moves into the advanced stages much faster than it would for someone else.
If you have high blood sugar you must be extra careful with your flossing because a small infection in your mouth can spiral into a major medical emergency.
Risks for Pregnancy and Infant Development
Pregnant women go through hormonal changes that make their gums much more likely to become inflamed and sensitive to the bacteria that causes periodontitis during their nine months.
If a mother has an active infection in her mouth she is at a higher risk for delivering a premature baby or a baby that is born under the normal weight.
Underweight babies often have weaker immune systems and are more likely to get sick with respiratory diseases or the flu during the first few months of their lives.
Taking care of your teeth while you are pregnant is a simple step that protects both your own health and the future well-being of your developing child.
Links to Asthma Alzheimer’s and Oral Cancer
The bacteria from your mouth can also travel to your lungs and trigger asthma attacks because your immune system is already on high alert and becomes easily overwhelmed by inflammation.
Some researchers have also found that patients with Alzheimer’s disease often have higher rates of gum infections which suggests that the bacteria might help the brain disease spread more quickly.
Perhaps most importantly, gum disease acts as a red flag because it can hide the early signs of oral cancer which is usually painless and very hard to see.
If your gums are constantly swollen or bleeding you might not notice a cancerous growth until it is too late to treat the problem with a simple procedure.
Protecting Your Health with Simple Habits
The best way to prevent these scary health problems is to brush and floss your teeth twice every single day while also maintaining a healthy diet.
You should avoid eating too much sugar because sugar acts like a dinner bell for bacteria and helps them grow much faster than they would if you ate vegetables.
Make sure you visit your dentist in Littleton at Suncreek Dental Group every six months for a professional checkup so we can catch any warning signs before they turn into chronic issues.
If you have questions about your oral health or want to schedule a cleaning, give us a call at (303) 933-2522 to get started on your path to a healthier life.
Category: Periodontics