Periodontal diseases, also known as gum disease, weakens your gum attachment and causes bone deterioration that eventually leads to tooth loss. Gum disease not only affects your mouth, but it’s detrimental impact extends to the rest of your body, leading to worse health problems such as diabetes or heart disease.
Even though the association between gum disease and other health conditions is relatively unknown, there does seem to a common denominator between the two – chronic inflammation.
Inflammation is a natural defense mechanism of your body that gets activated with the goal of isolating damaged tissues from healthy ones. However, when inflammation and infection get caught up in a constant battle, which is often the case with gum disease, then the chronic inflammation can end up damaging tissue.
Inflammation also plays a critical role in conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It contributes to plaque buildup in blood vessels that impacts blood circulation, which endangers the heart. Moreover, for those with diabetes, inflammation caused due to gum disease often leads to slow wound healing and even blindness.
Once periodontal disease advances, it can stimulate the overall inflammatory response of the body. Moreover, the breakdown of gum tissues make it even easier for bacteria and other toxins from the mouth to enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, triggering further inflammation. These reactions can make it even more difficult to control inflammatory conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. In fact, they may actually increase your risk for developing such conditions.
All in all, periodontal disease can have a terrible impact on your body. You should visit a dentist as soon as you notice swollen or bleeding gums to minimize the impact of this disease. The sooner you commence the dental treatment, the less impact it will have on your overall health.
If you are looking for a dental clinic to help you with your periodontal disease or any other dental concern, we are here for you! Give us a call at 760-632-9055 to book an appointment with us at Encinitas Periodontics & Dental Implants now!
