Mouth Body Connection
Richardson, TX
 Many people are surprised to learn how much influence your oral health and condition have on your overall general wellness. We are learning more and more every day about how the negative issues and symptoms that you may be dealing with in your mouth have to do with the rest of your body.
The mouth is like every other area of the body in the fact that it has bacteria, only more so here. Now, most of it is harmless, but not all of it. And if you begin to battle an infection, this can impact your wellbeing in several other areas such as digestive tracts and respiratory tracts. This is due to the fact that the mouth is the entry point of those systems If left unchecked for long periods some of these bacteria might lead to disease.
Part of a healthy dental care strategy includes daily brushing and flossing, eating healthy foods, and of course, regular visits to the oral healthcare providers here at Dr. Xixi Wu. With our help, our patients enjoy healthy smiles and keep harmful bacteria under control.
Impact on Overall Health
To get a better idea of how oral health affects body health, it helps if we understand what and how it most greatly impacts. When bacteria continue to fester and multiply, they begin to spread. They start by usually going throughout all of the surfaces of the mouth, such as the teeth, gums, tongue, roof of the mouth, and everywhere else. This brings on inflammation, which, when not properly dealt with, can cause various issues all throughout the rest of the body. This is due not only to the spreading of these bacteria to other places and systems, but also because of how much energy and resources it takes for the body to fight continual inflammation.
Specific Conditions Associated With Poor Oral Health
There are a number of specific issues that can be attributed directly to poor oral health, although that doesn’t by any means indicate that it is always due to that. Such conditions as endocarditis, which is where an infection develops when bacteria from other places, namely the mouth for the purposes of this post, start in the inner lining of the heart valves or chambers. This happens as a result of traveling through the bloodstream and being spread to the heart.
Other issues can include cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and can even have an impact on fetuses and unborn babies such as low birth weight or premature birth. There is also a connection between diabetes and oral health as well. They clearly have a direct impact on one another in the sense that poor dental health can help cause diabetes, while diabetes can complicate and increase the severity of existing diabetes.
To learn even more about the impact and effect that your oral health has on the rest of your health, please stop by and visit our staff here at Dr. Xixi Wu. If it is more convenient for you to call, our office number is (972) 669-9444.
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