Does the health of your mouth have anything to do with the overall health of
your body? When the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Health stated, “You cannot
be healthy without oral health. Oral health and general health should not be
interpreted as separate entities,” it highlighted the growing awareness of the
profound connection between the health of your mouth and the health of rest of
your body. When we think of gum disease or periodontal disease from a
traditional perspective, it’s hard to understand how bleeding gums, deep
pockets, abscesses, and loose teeth might impact the risk for many chronic
illnesses. While most are necessary to maintain healthy teeth and gums, there
also exist harmful bacteria that can get out of control and do significant
damage to gum tissue.
The path to gum disease has many steps, beginning with plaque, an invisible,
sticky film containing millions of bacteria. In healthy mouths, plaque itself
actually provides some barrier against outside bacterial invasion. Tartar has a
rock-like consistency and grabs onto the tooth surface. The longer that plaque
and tartar persist, the more damage they inflict. This final stage of gum
disease leads to the development of pockets between your gums and teeth that
fill with more plaque, tartar, and bacteria. Over time, these pockets can
spread under your gum tissue. Chronic gum infection and periodontitis cause
inflammation and damage that eventually destroys the support structures and
bone and can lead to tooth loss.
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