Oral health linked to your overall health

Your oral health is more important than you might realize. Get the facts about how the health of your mouth, teeth and gums can affect your general health.

Did you know that your oral health can offer clues about your overall health — or that problems in your mouth can affect the rest of your body?  Understand the intimate connection between oral health and overall health and what you can do to protect yourself.

What's the connection between oral health and overall health?

Like many areas of the body, your mouth is teeming with bacteria — most of them harmless.  Normally the body's natural defenses and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing, can keep these bacteria under control. However, without proper oral hygiene, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to oral infections, such as tooth decay and gum disease.

In addition, certain medications — such as decongestants, antihistamines, painkillers and diuretics — can reduce saliva flow. Saliva washes away food and neutralizes acids produced by bacteria in the mouth, helping to protect you from microbial invasion or overgrowth that might lead to disease.

Studies also suggest that oral bacteria and the inflammation associated with periodontitis — a severe form of gum disease — might play a role in some diseases.  In addition, certain diseases, such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS, can lower the body's resistance to infection, making oral health problems more severe.

What conditions may be linked to oral health?

Your oral health might affect, be affected by, or contribute to various diseases and conditions, including:

Endocarditis. Endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of your heart (endocardium). Endocarditis typically occurs when bacteria or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth, spread through your bloodstream and attach to damaged areas in your heart.  Cardiovascular disease. Some research suggests that heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke might be linked to the inflammation and infections that oral bacteria can cause.  Pregnancy and birth. Periodontitis has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.  Diabetes. Diabetes reduces the body's resistance to infection — putting the gums at risk. Gum disease appears to be more frequent and severe among people who have diabetes. Research shows that people who have gum disease have a harder time controlling their blood sugar levels.  HIV/AIDS. Oral problems, such as painful mucosal lesions, are common in people who have HIV/AIDS.  Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis — which causes bones to become weak and brittle — might be linked with periodontal bone loss and tooth loss.  

How can I protect my oral health?

To protect your oral health, practice good oral hygiene every day. For example:

Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Floss daily. Eat a healthy diet and limit between-meal snacks. Replace your toothbrush every three to four months or sooner if bristles are frayed. Schedule regular dental checkups.  Also, contact your dentist as soon as an oral health problem arises.  Remember, taking care of your oral health is an investment in your overall health.

Did you know?????

• Paul Revere, in addition to earning a living as a silversmith and copper plate engraver, also worked as a dentist. Revere , in fact, is the first person known to use dental forensics, to identify the body of a colonial colonel killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill by the bridge appliance he wore.

• Brushing teeth used to be a rather disgusting activity, as toothpaste was made from various combinations of ash, charcoal, and/or tobacco, sometimes sweetened with honey. Some cultures actually used urine as a whitening mouthwash (urine contains urea, which somehow helps whiten teeth).

• During the Middle Ages, wealthy Europeans used twigs made out of sweet-smelling wood to clean their teeth.In 1498, the Emperor of China implanted hog bristles in a bone handle. This style of toothbrush became popular throughout Asia and Europe. However, because of the cost of hog bristles, poor people could not afford individual toothbrushes, so a whole family would share the same toothbrush. Believe it or not, most Americans didn't brush their teeth until soldiers brought the Army's enforced brushing habit back home from World War II.

Dental History

18th-century

Tooth extraction keys were named because of their resemblance to skeleton door keys. This 18th century iron key is about 6 inches long.

Mid 1800s

Traveling dentists, moving from town to town to provide dental care, would have transported their instruments in a leather roll.

1893

The Favorite Dental Chair, manufactured by the Ritter Dental Manufacturing Company.  It was put on the market on January 1, 1901 and cost between $150 and $172 depending on whether the upholstery was ordered in seal leather, cane, or mohair plush. The sectional headrest was $10 extra. The range of the Model No. 1 Favorite Chair was from 18 inches at the lowest position to 35 inches at the highest position. The lowest position of the chair when tilted back was 12 inches.

Late 1800s

Eight months after the discovery of the x-ray was announced in 1896, Louisiana dentist C. Edmund Kells demonstrated the first dental application of this new technology in the U.S (Pictured x-ray tube, Machlett Company, 1913)

1958

The Den-Tal-Ez Chair was the first successful reclining dental chair.  Within a decade of its introduction almost all dentists were using reclining dental chairs.