Oral health should never be a second thought, especially for folks who are already extremely health-conscious. When your teeth start to suffer, it’s not just your mouth that ends up dealing with bacteria and other unhealthy elements. People who don’t brush and floss regularly or keep up with dental visits are more likely to deal with more serious health issues like diabetes if they let things get too out of hand. Fortunately, it’s not to difficult to keep up with oral hygiene. If you visit Dr. Russo dental care near Durham at least every few months, you’ll be giving your dentist a chance to clue you in to some serious health issues before they spiral out of control. The mouth body connection is no joke, and if you care about your overall health, here are a few things to be aware of if you’re dealing with oral health issues.

Dementia

For more mature adults who are suffering from memory loss and the early signs of brain disease, it’s common for smaller habits and routines to start falling by the wayside. Adults who are slowly losing their cognitive function could stop paying attention to daily hygienic habits like brushing teeth, flossing, and wearing deodorant. This isn’t just unpleasant, it can be downright unhealthy, especially if someone is dealing with dementia and isn’t receiving the right care. The signs of memory loss and impaired brain function can be varied, but if an older adult in your life is complaining of inflammation and tooth pain, it could be a sign that they need a bit more help sticking to their normal, healthy routines.

Heart Disease

What happens to your gums can have a big impact on your heart health. Even if you’ve taken pains to keep your heart healthy by lowering your cholesterol and amping up your cardio workouts, if you’re not looking after your oral health, it could still end up compromising your cardiovascular health. If your gums are overrun with bacteria or you’re dealing with the early stages of periodontal disease, the problems don’t end there. Your gums could allow this bacteria to filter into your bloodstream, causing your arteries to be exposed to plaque buildup. Even though this process can take a while to become truly dangerous, you never want to put yourself at risk in this way, especially with something that can so easily be prevented. To keep your heart and lungs healthy, always make sure to floss, brush, and stick to regular dental appointments.

Pregnancy Issues

For women who are newly pregnant, oral care can play a huge role in the overall health of the pregnancy. Since pregnant women’s bodies are constantly filtering nutrients to their gestating babies, it’s important to keep everything in great shape, including teeth and gums. Even a routine gum infection could lead to dangerous conditions for birth or could increase the risk of a birth defect. Every pregnancy is different, and every woman deals with a different set of risks that have to do with her genetic background and family history of disease. Still, if you’re in the early stages of pregnancy, keeping up with basic oral care is an absolute must, especially if you want to make sure both you and your child stay as healthy as possible.

Cancer

An unwatched mouth, in some circumstances, can pave the way for something more serious, such as mouth or tongue cancer. For individuals who are or once were smokers, the risk of cancer is much higher, but even an average gum infection could end up spiraling into a serious health problem that could have easily been avoided. Keeping up with dental appointments isn’t just a good way to keep your mouth healthy, it can actually help you spot the signs of cancer or disease more quickly and be able to fight it more effectively. If you have a family history of cancer, it’s important that you don’t slack off on visits to the dentist and that you keep tabs on your oral health no matter what.

Fertility Problems

While bad oral hygiene can adversely affect a pregnancy that’s already underway, it can also create a hostile situation for women who are trying to get pregnant. Studies have shown that gum disease can make it difficult for women to carry a pregnancy to term, making it more difficult for such patients to get pregnant in the first place. The best way to fight infertility is to practice good health habits overall, with special attention to oral and gum hygiene.