Obviously – losing teeth when there is not enough supporting bone and ligaments around the tooth. (For sure this can be lived with).
Not so Obviously – dragging the whole body down. Associations have been established between gum disease and many systemic conditions, in particular: coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, adverse pregnancy outcome and many autoimmune conditions. This is because the nature of gum disease is chronic inflammation. Local chronic inflammation in one part of the body can adversely affect distant target organs.
Direct mechanism: bacteria presenting in gum diseases directly enter the systemic circulation via ulcerated gum tissues and harm target organs. (Example: gum disease bacteria are detected in thrombi from patients with acute myocardial infarction.)
Indirect mechanism: Human body’s inflammatory response to the bacterial challenge in gum diseases becomes a source of pathogenesis in other inflammatory based systemic diseases. (Example: increased level of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is detected in patients with gum diseases, which is also a risk factor for various types of cancer.)
So you cannot have good general health without good oral health! Get in touch with the team at Natural Dentistry to find out more about gum disease and how it affects your overall wellness.