How Gum Health Affects Your Overall Wellness
Your gums are the start of everything in oral health. If they aren’t healthy your entire smile doesn’t have a foundation to stand on. Your teeth can become loose and even fall out. Your breath can go bad, your health can be at risk.
It isn’t just how white our teeth are or how straight they are that matters. First and foremost, you need to care for your gums. This guide explains how gum health affects your overall wellness, as well as what you can do to help protect your gum health, so read on:
How Gum Health Affects Your Wellbeing
There are several ways that gum health affects your overall health, starting with your mouth and going as far as your heart.
Oral Health: Gum disease can cause issues like tooth decay, bad breath, and even cause you to lose teeth altogether. You’ll notice if your gums are having issues if they are painful, sore, swollen, or even if they are receding.
In short, if they’re anything but the light pink, normal-looking gums you’re used to, then you need help – fast. Visit our experts at BAFDentistry today and we’ll help you conquer your gum disease and set your oral health back on track.
- Heart Disease: Think poor oral health sticks to just your mouth? Think again. Poor oral health can actually increase your risk of heart diseases. This is because gum disease happens when bacteria spreads throughout the gums. Unfortunately, that bacteria won’t just stick to your saliva. It can enter the bloodstream, too. Once it’s in the blood it can affect your heart, leading to an increased risk for a heart attack or even stroke.
- Diabetes: While gum disease cannot cause diabetes, it can make it harder to manage your diabetes. This is because gum infections cause inflammation, which can make it more difficult for you to control your blood sugar levels.
- Lung Infections: Another way the bacteria from gum disease can affect your overall health is in your lungs. The bacteria can cause infections, which in turn can cause respiratory issues.
- Poor Self Esteem: Gum disease leads to other oral health issues, or is caused by severe oral health issues. In short, there’s a good chance if you have gum disease that you won’t be happy with your overall smile. You may have plaque and tartar build-up, tooth decay, or other severe issues you’ll need a dentist to fix – but remember, a dentist can fix these issues. You can absolutely have a beautiful smile, you just might need some extra dental care.
- Insomnia: Gum disease can be painful, which in turn can make it difficult to get a good, solid night’s sleep. Combined with the pain, a lack of sleep can cause your immune system to plummet, which leads to a host of other problems that generally just make you feel worn thin.
- Eating Problems: Another reason gum disease can affect your wellbeing is by making it painful to eat, which in turn causes a host of other health and emotional issues. We need to eat a well-balanced diet to thrive, and if you struggle to eat at all you may find it difficult to accomplish even basic daily tasks.
How to Improve Your Gum Health
If you already have inflamed gums, receding gums, or other issues with your gums that mean you’re dealing with pain or even loose teeth, then don’t waste a second longer and book an appointment.
If you don’t yet have those symptoms and want to take pre-emptive steps, or you are recovering from gum disease and want to make sure that it never happens again, then you’ll want to follow these steps:
- Regular Dental Care
The good news is that regular dental care is all you need to reduce your risk of developing gum disease. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, and floss, and you’ll plummet those risks.
Just remember to take care when brushing. You don’t need to brush so hard your gums bleed every time. In fact, they shouldn’t bleed at all when you brush your teeth. Hard brushing can actually cause your gums to recede, and cause micro-abrasions that bacteria can grow from.
Use a soft-bristle brush, and use moderate pressure when brushing. Then, use floss to get between your teeth.
For best results, follow up with a mouthwash. This way, you can kill any potential harmful bacteria before it can take root in your gums.
- Reduce Intake of Sugary or Acidic Foods
Another key oral care tip is to reduce how much sugar or acid you eat. If you do eat acidic foods, drink water and swish it around your mouth while you’re eating to flush out the acid. This is a very simple way to reduce the risk of the acids breaking down your enamel or harming your gums, even if you’re out in public.
In general, it is a great idea to eat and drink less sugar. Sugar is the superfood for bacteria, so reducing the amount you eat reduces bacteria’s ability to thrive. It’s also a great way to reduce oral health issues as a whole.
Instead, try to eat more whole foods. A healthy diet is wonderful for the teeth inside and out.
Book Regular Dental Appointments
The best way to avoid gum and dental issues is to spot them early. That’s why a part of every good oral hygiene routine needs to include a regular dental visit – ideally once every six months. This is a good time to get a professional clean, and a check-up.
Your dental expert will be able to spot any early signs of gum disease or dental decay – even before you yourself notice. Not only will this early prevention help you avoid painful oral health issues, but it’s also a great way to keep the cost of maintaining a healthy smile down.