Oral Health is Connected to Overall Health
The American Dental Association recommends seeing the dentist twice per year for cleanings and a checkup. However, especially during the pandemic, many people were waiting much longer than usual to see their dentist. Back in October of 2020, an American Dental Association survey showed that between 15 to 20 percent of people would not go back to the dentist until there was a cure for COVID-19 or a vaccine.
Oakdale Family Dentistry adapted quickly to safety guidelines with the knowledge that oral health is connected to overall health.
According to the American Dental Association, systemic diseases—those that affect the entire body, such as diabetes, AIDS and Sjögren’s syndrome—can first become noticeable through lesions in the mouth or other oral problems, such as periodontitis. Periodontitis, a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and, without treatment, can destroy the bone that supports your teeth, is often linked with other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and bacterial pneumonia. In addition, pregnant women with periodontitis may be at increased risk of delivering preterm and/or low-birth-weight infants.
Cavities can also be an indication of overall health. In a recent study, researchers looked at data from 6,506 people without stroke, and then followed them for 30 years. For the first 15 years, those who developed cavities had a slightly higher risk for stroke from brain bleed, but their risk shot up dramatically in the next 15 years. In the second half of the study period, people with cavities had 4.5 times higher risk of a stroke from brain bleed than those without cavities, after adjusting for age, gender, race and high blood pressure.
How do you know if your oral health is at risk for impacting your overall health? There are important signs and symptoms to look for according to the American Dental Association:
Pus between your teeth and gums;
Loose or separating teeth;
Change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite; Change in the fit of partial dentures
Do what you can for prevention. Make sure you see your dentist for bi-annual cleanings and exams. Don’t ignore problems in between and see your dentist if you feel pain or notice any abnormalities in your gums, on your tongue or in any area of the mouth.