Last week, we discussed the importance of maintaining healthy nutrition levels for the good of your mouth. However, the need for fuel is not the only similarity between your mouth’s health and your body’s wellbeing. An influx of research has shown that poor oral health may be significantly linked to many serious illnesses, including lung disease, heart disease, and many others. As a testament to the importance of keeping your mouth clean, Astoria dentist Dr. Jeffrey Leibowitz explains how oral disease develops and why its origins may affect the rest of your body, as well.
How do Oral Diseases Develop?
Most people have been taught since an early age to brush and floss your teeth if you want a clean mouth. The main goal of daily dental hygiene is to control the accumulation of dental plaque, which contains hundreds of different kinds of bacteria that can devastate your oral health if allowed to run amok. For instance, Streptococcus mutans is known to convert sugar and carbs into lactic acid, which destroys your tooth enamel to make way for bacteria to initiate tooth decay. The more germs accumulate, the more acid they can produce, and if not controlled, your teeth can soon become overwhelmed. Another microbe, called Porphyromonas gingivalis, has been singled out as a significant perpetrator of gum disease. The germ incites your immune system’s inflammatory response, causing your gums to swell and separate from your teeth.
Excellent Oral Health in Astoria
The inflammation associated with gum disease is one of the contributing factors to the often-studied link between your oral and overall health, also known as the oral-systemic connection. Diseased oral tissue allows the germs in your mouth an access point to gain entry into your blood stream. Once there, oral bacteria can travel all throughout your body, possibly wreaking havoc with other parts of your body. To learn more about how a clean mouth can help protect your physical health, or to schedule a dental consultation, contact Dr. Leibowitz by calling our Queens dental office at (718) 728-8320. We proudly serve patients from Astoria, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the surrounding communities.
