92% of adults 20 to 64 have had dental caries in their permanent teeth, a situation caused by poor attention to oral care.
The majority of people give little or no importance to their oral health mainly due to lack of knowledge of the sequelae that causes tooth loss, accompanied by a lack of future projection and its impact on mastication, facial aesthetics, and quality of life.
Mostly, you go to the dentist only if there is pain or when you have to repair or remove a tooth or place some device or prosthesis.
With good review, cleanings, and periodic checks, dentists can detect early malignant lesions, including oral cancer. Other oral conditions that affect general health and reduce the quality of life are Periodontal Disease (pyorrhea), which occurs in the gums and produces reabsorption and loss of bone of the jaws due to the accumulation of tartar due to lack of cleaning adequately; as well as excoriations and injuries due to poorly adapted prostheses, gastro-oesophageal reflux, oral dryness, bruxism (grinding of teeth), among others.
Recent studies point increasingly to the existence of a relationship between mouth disease, periodontitis, and certain systemic diseases, such as strokes, heart attacks, respiratory conditions (pneumonia), or diabetes, which are some of the leading causes of death in men and women.
The mouth is located in the first link of a chain of diseases, which could be avoided with the care of oral health. These diseases could be started when gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums caused by the accumulation of plaque and bacteria. If gingivitis is not treated, it can become periodontitis, a much more serious gum infection.
Among the related diseases, we can mention the following ones:
- Respiratory Diseases: A study conducted by the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Intensive Care, and Sleep Medicine at Erie County Medical Center shows that the same bacteria that are present on the dental plaque would cause respiratory conditions such as pneumonia. At the same time, it is observed that patients who sanitize their mouths daily reduce the incidence of these diseases.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Like periodontitis, they are inflammatory in nature and cause damage and loss of tissue. These similarities led the experts to establish the link between the two. It has been shown that in treating periodontitis an effect could be obtained on the clinical and biochemical markers of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Diabetes: Periodontitis is one of the chronic complications of diabetes. In fact, chronic inflammation of the gums can impact on the control of glucose levels.
- Heart disease: Theories that relate periodontitis to the heart are different. One of them, for example, argues that bacteria could enter the bloodstream through the mouth and attack the fatty deposits of blood vessels, which increases the risk of heart disease. Another theory points to the inflammation of periodontitis as the main cause of the infarction.
These are just some of the reasons why it is vitally important to pay attention to oral health. Visit your dentist regularly, especially if you think that with daily hygiene, you can prevent serious diseases.
If you need to have any dental treatment, please contact us and we will gladly provide you with a dental treatment estimate from our experts according to your needs and budget.