Examinations in Washington, DC

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. But did you know the mouth is a window to the body’s well-being? In fact, the state of your oral health is linked to your overall health and provides important clues. Adverse conditions in your mouth can affect the health of your entire body.

Any time there is an infection in the mouth, it does not just stay there, according to the American Dental Association. It can travel through your bloodstream, affecting your organs and your immune system. Our doctors and their clinical team take seriously research that the health of the mouth and the health of the body—are connected!

Not only is gum disease the number one cause of tooth loss in the United States, but it is linked to a higher risk for other serious health problems.

1. Oral Health Linked to Heart Disease

• Poor oral health and cardiovascular conditions are often found together.
• The relationship between gum disease and heart disease can happen when small amounts of bacteria enter your bloodstream while you’re chewing.
• The “bad bacteria” from the infection can lodge inside blood vessels, and cause dangerous blockages.
• Fragments of gum disease bacteria have been found in blood vessels of people with heart disease.
• Studies have found that the aggressive treatment of gum disease can reduce the incidence of heart disease.

2. Oral Health Linked to Diabetes

• The strongest of all relationships between the mouth and the body may well be the connection between gum disease and diabetes.
• Inflammation in the mouth appears to weaken the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels.
• People with diabetes have trouble processing sugar because of a lack of insulin—the hormone that converts sugar into energy.
• Gum disease does additional harm because the inflammation lowers the body’s ability to use insulin.
• To further complicate things, diabetes and gum disease work off each other. The high blood sugar from diabetes can make it difficult to fight off infection, which includes infections of the gums.
• Therefore, controlling gum disease makes it easier to control diabetes.

3. Oral Health Link to Pregnancy

• The fluctuating hormones in pregnancy often cause gum infections in pregnant women.
• Physicians and dentists try to encourage women who are pregnant to pay close attention to their oral health, since gum disease or inflammation in the mouth can possibly trigger a chemical that induces early labor.
• Studies show that pregnant women who develop gum disease between 21 and 24 weeks are more likely to give birth before week 37.
• Other studies have found a relationship between gum disease, pre-term birth and low birth weight.