The Chicago Dentist: Could Your Mouth Be Making You Sick?

By Author: Rooden Salle
Total Articles: 52
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It’s not particularly charming to think that your mouth could be making you sick. Does that mean it’s filthy, unclean and unhygienic? Well, yes, but that doesn’t make you special… or an oddity. Every human mouth on the planet – with the exception of newborn babies who have exceptionally high standards of oral hygiene – is crawling with oral bacteria. You can’t see them any more than you see the critters crawling all over your hair and skin, but they are there!
Bacteria are very opportunistic. According to Chicago dentists, most of them are harmless and even beneficial for good health. But of the roughly 300 different kinds of bacteria found in dental plaque – the white, sticky substance that collects on your teeth during the day – a small percentage can make you sick. Very sick, indeed.
 
Your Mouth, the Gateway
Your mouth provides a direct route for bacteria into your body. Every time you breathe in, you aspirate bacteria. Every time you swallow, you ingest bacteria. Pretty ...
... unsettling isn’t it? These bacteria get absorbed into the bloodstream, which then makes a bee-line for your liver. This organ responds to the presence of bacteria in your blood by producing harmful proteins that not only kill bacteria, but can also lead to systemic cardiac problems in the long term. WHAT?? Heart problems? From a dirty mouth? Yes. But it doesn’t end there…
It is totally normal to have lots of bacteria in your mouth, but the difference between people who brush and floss regularly and those who don’t is numbers. The more bacteria in your mouth, the more plaque you have, the worse your breath, the greater your risk of cavities, tooth decay, gingivitis and tartar, which is hardened deposits of plaque. Eventually, without professional intervention and good oral hygiene, people who don’t look after their teeth will develop gum disease, or as the dentist calls it: periodontitis.
 
If You Weren’t Scared Enough Already: Meet Periodontitis
Periodontitis is a condition characterized by a severe and chronic oral bacterial infection of the gums surrounding the teeth. It is caused by poor lifelong oral hygiene and habits such as smoking and heavy drinking (alcoholism).
Periodontitis has friends. Many of them: bad breath, discolored teeth, swollen gums and oral lesions are just a few of the mates periodontitis likes to hang out with. But this nasty oral ailment has friends far and wide, meaning that the ramifications of advanced oral bacterial infections are not restricted to the oral cavity.
Peer-reviewed scientific research has shown clear links to exist between dental health and general health. People with gum disease are more likely to suffer from one or more of these other health problems: diabetes, respiratory illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, oral cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and complications during pregnancy.
This really is quite terrifying. It drives home the importance of looking after your teeth and gums, doesn’t it?
 
A Final Note
Yes, your mouth has the potential to make you sick. But if you brush and floss regularly and thoroughly and if you go for regular check-ups with your dentist and dental hygienist, it shouldn’t. Basically, your health is in your own hands, so treat it like a lady.