Marco Island Dentist | Health Problems Caused by Poor Oral Health

Since your mouth is the main portal of entry into your body, you won’t have to wonder why bad oral health can cause serious health issues to develop. Your Marco Island dentist couldn’t stress this enough – it’s extremely important to be mindful about your mouth. In case you’re wondering, the tell-tale signs of bad oral health include bleeding gums, toothache, and stinky breath. If you’re not careful, the bacteria from your mouth can cause infection and inflammation in your body as it spreads into your bloodstream. Check out these health issues that result from poor oral health.

Diabetes

Gum disease can make diabetes more difficult to control because infected gums will cause a diabetic person’s blood sugar levels to go haywire. Conversely, since periodontal disease increases blood sugar levels, individuals with poor oral health are at risk for developing diabetes.

Dementia

Your brain will be significantly affected by your poor oral health habits. When a person has gum disease and the bacteria enters the bloodstream and spreads to the nerve channels, brain cells die, and memory loss ensues.

Erectile Dysfunction

When a person has gum disease, his gums pull away from the teeth and create pockets of pus and bacteria that can spread to the jawbone. As the bacteria enter the bloodstream causing the blood vessels to become inflamed, the blood flow to the genitals become blocked. When this happens, it would be impossible to achieve erections.

Infertility

A woman with gum disease will find it difficult to get pregnant or to sustain a healthy pregnancy. If you want to conceive, make sure that you practice excellent oral health habits.

Heart Disease

The inflammation of the gums due to the presence of bacteria can cause the build-up of plaque in your arteries. When your arteries harden, you increase your chances of developing heart blockages that would eventually lead to a heart attack.

Cancer

If you use tobacco products and you don’t practice good oral hygiene, you may develop oral and throat cancers as well as pancreatic cancer, blood cancer, and kidney cancer. These have also been linked to gum disease.

See Your Marco Island Dentist!

Seeing your Marco Island dentist and practicing excellent oral hygiene can cause you to avoid serious risk to your overall health. Contact Island Paradise Dental today to schedule an appointment.