Hi guys, I'm Dr. Vera Salvatore here at Salvatore Dental, and today we're going to talk about a few topics about oral health and how it affects the rest of our body. You know, guys, the thing is, our mouth is connected to the rest of the body; we're not separate, we're all connected. There is a communication system that we call blood vessels and blood that transports whatever is happening in the mouth to the rest of the body, the rest of the organs.
How does oral health impact heart health?
Let's say if in the mouth we have gum disease or we have bone disease, that inflammation, those bacteria entities, are going to travel through the blood and go to the heart, let's say. If they go to the heart, they're going to create a party there, they're going to create a colony, and plaque will build up, which can result in many issues, you know, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and whatnot. So it is imperative that whatever is happening in the mouth is handled so that nothing goes down to the heart and causes other issues.
What is the relationship between diabetes and oral health?
Diabetes is an interesting topic because sugar levels in the blood can affect what's happening in the mouth and vice versa. What's happening in the mouth can affect how our diabetes management is handled, so it is very important to have a good grasp and control over both areas. But let's say if in the mouth we have cavities, we have gum disease, we have bone disease, the inflammation in the mouth will result in the control of the sugar levels being uncontrollable, and diabetes, unfortunately, will not get any better; it's just going to get worse and will be harder to control infections in the mouth. Vice versa, if the diabetes is not controlled, certain dental procedures may be difficult to achieve and to get a good result. For example, surgery, implant placement, if diabetes is out of control, implants may not heal so well with the bone, and thus may not last in the mouth. So diabetes and oral health go hand in hand; they both have to be managed from both aspects in order for us not to have any problems.
How does maternal oral health affect the baby?
Everything that's happening in the mother's mouth is traveling through the bloodstream to the baby that's in the belly. If the mother has gum disease, bone disease, cavities, things that are happening there, the baby is susceptible to those same conditions. Gum disease and anything that's traveling to the baby we want to prevent. We want that baby to develop nicely and healthily. It's very easy to do; you know all the mother has to do is good oral hygiene at home, brushing, flossing, rinsing, and seeing a dentist regularly. So if there are issues, we can take care of them, and we can prevent any of those toxins from going down to the baby.
What are the risks of smoking on oral health?
Whenever we see a new patient in our office or a regular patient that comes in, we always check the tongue, the mucosa, the gums, what's happening around, especially with smokers, because people are predisposed to oral cancer when they smoke. Again, we're dealing with bacteria, we're dealing with inflammation, we're dealing with toxins that are not good for the body, and all those elements do contribute to things like pancreatic cancer, problems with the gut, you know, even there's a link between breast cancer, there's a link with heart disease, how oral health affects diabetes, you know. So there's such a big connection, and it's so easy to prevent multiple diseases and cancer factors when we just take care of the mouth.
How does oral health affect the immune system?
Let's think of the immune system as the strong armor, the jacket that protects our body. If the jacket is weakened by things that are happening in the mouth, cavities, disease, or bone disease, that jacket is no longer able to protect the person. If the person, let's say, gets a simple flu, all those soldiers that are supposed to protect the body, instead of now tackling the simple flu, now they have to go to the mouth and defeat the bacteria that's happening there and fight the inflammation and all the germs. We're weakening that shield, which really there's no reason to, because it's so simple, simple prevention. You know, it all starts with good hygiene, good brushing, good flossing, good rinsing, routine checkups. If there is a problem, it can be handled, and it can all be maintained so that that immune system of ours, that shield that we all have, stays strong and is able to defend against other infections.
Awesome guys, so if you have any additional questions or if you just want to get a checkup, we're here for you, we're here to help. You can call us at (518) 868-6900, and we'll be happy to take care of you.