Smile If You Want To Be Healthy
oral health, heart disease, gums, prevention, dentists
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Yeah, a positive attitude is a sign of a healthy person, but that's not what this post refers to. Did you know that poor oral hygiene can compromise your overall health?
The Importance of Oral Health to Overall Health
Oral health means more than just an attractive smile. Poor oral health and untreated oral diseases and conditions can have a significant impact on quality of life. And in many cases, the condition of the mouth mirrors the condition of the body as a whole. Recent reports indicate a relationship between periodontal (gum) disease and stroke, heart disease and preterm low-birth-weight babies. Likewise, more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases have oral manifestations, meaning your dentist may be the first health care provider to diagnose a health problem.
What problems can poor oral health cause?
According to the Surgeon General's report on oral health in America, released in 2000, a large percentage of the population suffers from a reduced quality of life due to oral and facial pain. This pain is largely due to infections of the gums that can lead to tooth loss. More than 75 percent of the population is affected by some type of gum disease.
Reports show that infections in the mouth can affect major organs. For example, oral bacteria can travel through the bloodstream to the heart, where they can cause bacterial endocarditis, a condition in which the lining of the heart and heart valves become inflamed. Poor mouth care also can contribute to oral cancer. In addition, poor oral health affects the digestive process, which begins with physical and chemical activities in the mouth.
What symptoms of other diseases show up in the mouth?
Mouth tissues reflect symptoms of other problems throughout the body. In addition, many diseases can be diagnosed in their early stages... read entire entry
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on 4/10/2008
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