How does oral health affect heart health and diabetes?
A lot of times patients have come in and said, "Oh, I'm just coming for my cleaning," but we want to stress the importance of how that cleaning will affect your oral health and systemic health. Studies have shown that heart disease, diabetes, and all of these different ailments are directly related to your dental health. So we want to make sure that we keep you in optimal dental health so that we can extend the longevity of your life.
Why is dental care very important during pregnancy?
Dental care is very important during pregnancy because during pregnancy, a patient will produce extra hormones that do cause some inflammation. If we're not maintaining good oral health, then once the patient has had the baby, we may end up with lots of cavities, lots of bone loss, and gum disease. So we want to make sure that we're preventing that during the pregnancy.
What is the link between oral health and cancer?
Oral health is directly related to cancer in several ways. The health of the teeth, like I said before, is directly related to your systemic health. The healthier we are able to keep your gums and teeth, the more likely you are to decrease your risk of developing cancer. People with cancer have a higher risk of developing decay, gum disease, and losing their teeth due to several different factors related to the medications that a patient would take during cancer treatment.
Can poor oral health affect my immune system?
Poor oral health definitely can affect your immune conditions. When we are not keeping our teeth healthy, that's the direct pathway to the rest of the body. So when there's bacteria, inflammation, and disease in the mouth, that same disease travels to the rest of your body. As your body's working really hard to fight off these different diseases and bacteria, it's not able to work as hard keeping the rest of your body healthy. So there is a direct relation to the health of your mouth and the rest of your body.