Believe it or not, the condition of your gums reveals more than just how well you’ve been brushing your teeth. Oral hygiene is linked to other serious health complications, including heart disease and stroke. But how can you tell how healthy or unhealthy your gums are?
Signs of Unhealthy Gums
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether or not your gums are healthy, especially if you haven’t experienced any pain to alert you to the problem. One of the most prominent signs of gum disease are bleeding gums. This usually occurs during brushing or flossing and you may even notice some blood when you spit into the sink.
The problem with detecting gum disease lies with its ability to remain unnoticed for weeks, months or even years. However, by then it may be too late. Gum disease usually remains painless until the very last stages. It is caused by the build-up of plaque and hard tartar on the surface of the teeth. Thankfully, you can prevent this from getting out of hand by maintaining your oral hygiene and visiting the dentist regularly. Your dentist will be able to give you a simple and painless “scale and polish” to address the problem. Failure to look after your gums can lead to tooth loss and other more serious health issues.
Health Problems related to Poor Oral Hygiene
Unfortunately, an unhealthy mouth doesn’t stop with gum disease. According to research, women who suffer from gum disease are more likely to have low birth-weight and pre-term babies. This can be very troubling, especially since the problem could have been easily avoided.
Perhaps even more shocking is the fact that over 90% of systemic diseases have “oral manifestations”. A systemic disease basically refers to illness and diseases that affect organs or the entire body. The most common oral manifestations of a bodily disease include gum problems, a dry mouth, swollen gums, and mouth ulcers etc.
Poor oral hygiene can lead to, or be an indication of health problems such as:
- Oral cancer
- Kidney disease
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Leukaemia
- Pancreatic cancer
Other problems include oral and facial pain. You may experience pain elsewhere such as severe headaches and pain radiating from the jaw etc. Mouth infections are a regular occurrence in people with unhealthy gums and teeth. This is due to bacteria building up in the mouth, which can then affect the condition of your heart and other major organs in the body.
Your oral health can also affect your digestive system. As you know, the digestion process begins in the mouth. Unfortunately, some of the bacteria and problems originating from the mouth can travel to the intestines. This can lead to problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and even intestinal failure.
All of these problems can be prevented with good oral hygiene and regular dentist appointments. Your Dublin dentist will be able to examine your mouth and will alert you to any concerns he may have. Going to the dentist on a regular basis will help to ensure that if there is any underlying health problems linked to your oral health, your dentist will be able to detect and diagnose the issue in its earliest stages.
