When my wife Mary and I get to spend time with our 5- and 7-year-old granddaughters, we’re delighted and fascinated to see how they both show lots of characteristics of their mom and dad (and some of us too!) but that they really are unique as well.
One of their behaviors, carried down intact from their mom Kate is a weirdly joyous commitment to nightly dental hygiene! Just try to forget brushing and flossing when you’re getting them ready for bed.
Kate’s never had a cavity and I still get texts from her celebrating each successful dental check-up.
When we think of daily brushing and regular visits to our dentist, we typically think of keeping our teeth and gums healthy and preventing tooth decay and oral disease.
But did you know the health of your mouth can have a farther-reaching impact on your overall health and wellness? In fact, failing to brush your teeth regularly can increase your risk of several health issues.
More than 700 different strains of bacteria live in our mouths. That might sound unsettling, but most of the strains are harmless and some do helpful work, like beginning the digestive process. A few, though, like Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis, can cause problems.
S. mutans eats the sugars and starches in our mouths and produces acid that erodes our enamel and makes our teeth more susceptible to decay. The less common P. gingivalis can cause a progressive gum disease, called periodontitis, which leads to inflammation and tooth loss. Fortunately, these bacteria can be kept at bay by regularly brushing your teeth.
When faced with your daily duty to keep up on oral hygiene, remember these five health problems that can arise when we don’t take care of our teeth and gums:
Coronary artery disease
People with gum disease are twice as likely to have a type of heart disease called coronary artery disease.
Research indicates it may be a bacteria from our mouths that causes inflammatory markers to enter the bloodstream, increasing our chances of developing clots and blockages that lead to heart attacks.
Dementia
According to studies, people who didn’t brush their teeth regularly were as much as 65 percent more likely to have dementia.
It’s possible that bacteria associated with poor dental hygiene spreads to the brain through blood vessels that connect to the jaw and impact the development of dementia. P. gingivalis has been identified more often in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s than in those without.
Diabetes
People with diabetes are more likely to have gum disease than those without diabetes. Neglected oral health causes inflammation, which can increase our risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
Pneumonia
If bacteria are allowed to grow unchecked in our mouths, it’s possible to inhale microbes into our lungs where they can cause infections like pneumonia.
Research has shown that improving dental hygiene among hospital patients reduced instances of hospital-acquired pneumonia by 40 percent.
Pregnancy complications
Poor oral hygiene during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature birth, low birth weight and cavities for the child. Bacteria from the mouth can colonize the placenta through a pregnant person’s bloodstream and is the likely culprit of these complications.
Poor dental health can even cause systemic inflammation which may induce preterm labor.
The best way to keep your mouth and yourself healthy is to follow these practices for good oral health:
1. Brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day, using fluoride toothpaste to help prevent cavities.
2. Floss at least once a day to remove hard-to-reach plaque between your teeth. Those who have trouble removing plaque with floss alone should consider water irrigation systems.
3. Visit your dentist every six months for a deep cleaning and an exam to make sure your teeth and gums are in good shape.
We’re so fortunate to have many excellent dental practitioners in our area. Take advantage of their expertise and set up a visit soon. My thanks to Loren Grossman and his team for helping me and Mary stay healthy.
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Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is chief medical officer for surgical services for Geisinger and chair of the Geisinger Heart and Vascular Institute. Readers can write to him via ae@timesleader.com.
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