Effects of poor oral hygiene on your heart.
Teeth, an important but neglected organ in the body. “Tooth decay? No issues, you have so many others.” “ Tooth is aching? Get it removed. Simple!”. A part of the body responsible to process the nutrition which helps sustain the health of the body is often taken for granted but did you know, as much as the oral cavity is a gateway to nutrition, it is also a gateway to diseases. “What is in the mouth, definitely doesn’t stay in the mouth.” What if we tell you, the teeth problems you are ignoring right now can even lead to you getting a heart attack? Don’t believe it? Read down and get to know how your poor oral health can cost your heart too.
HOW CAN ORAL HEALTH BE RELATED TO MY HEART ?
Dental and periodontal diseases have been known to be a cofactor to several systemic disorders or as a manifestation of the same. However, oral diseases can be an etiological reason for some systemic diseases including cardiovascular disease. Let us understand the process.
HOW CAN THE BACTERIA FROM GUMS REACH THE HEART?
•Periodontal diseases are the most severe range of dental problems related to gums and the periodontal tissues. Periodontal diseases such as periodontitis are caused by bacteria entering the tissue through plaque accumulated due to poor oral hygiene eventually leading to tooth loss. Even cases of dental cavities will eventually progress to the soft tissues and become periodontal diseases. These bacteria penetrate deep within the tissue and are closely situated to the damaged tissue and its blood vessels. They can enter these blood vessels which will lead them to the heart causing a variety of issues. Known cases of such occurrence have seen inflammation, blood clotting etc. in the heart and its vessels.
WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM IT CAN CAUSE TO THE HEART?
• Atherosclerosis, deposition of plaque along the inner walls of the arteries have been observed in some cases which leads to hardening of the arteries. In cases of periodontitis related events, the bacteria can get deposited restricting the blood flow causing inflammatory reaction.
•Another occurrence can be the bacteria growing in the inner lining of the arteries. This will lead to obstruction in the blood flow causing the heart valves to function abnormally thus, leading to the risk of cardiac disorders.
•Existing heart problems can also worsen in conditions of periodontal diseases. It increases the risk of a potential cardiac arrest. Instances of death by cardiac diseases occurring secondary to periodontal diseases is low but not zero. Diabetes, another common systemic illness closely associated with cardiac diseases, observes periodontal diseases as a common manifestation. Smoking is another etiological factor common to both periodontal and cardiac diseases and can severely worsen conditions in situations of both the mentioned diseases being present.
So, what can be done to prevent the chances of getting a cardiac disease due to your teeth?
IS TREATMENT OR PREVENTION POSSIBLE?
The answer lies in the simple method of maintaining your oral health.
• Regularly brushing your teeth along with use of additional oral hygiene methods such as, flossing, mouth washes etc. is a basic level prevention method for preventing any kind of oral health problems.
• Timely visits to your dentist for regular check of your oral cavity and potential problems.
• Professional cleaning of the teeth, known as scaling, by a dentist or dental hygienist every six months needs to be done.
• In cases, where you have an existing systemic complication, especially a cardiac complication needs to be addressed to the dentist in the initial appointments .
• In cases of already existing periodontal issues, potential risk factors need to be avoided and proper treatment must be done for the disease.
So don’t wait, don’t neglect. A healthy mouth isn’t just a healthy mouth, it can save your life. It is not a wise man’s way to wait until the problem gets out of control for needing to fix it. If we pay attention to all our health problems from the time they start showing their presence, the bigger consequences can be easily avoided. Nobody wants to die of a heart attack and definitely not a heart attack just because you avoided taking care of your teeth. Treasure your oral health and it will give you a healthy life.
