The importance of dental care runs much deeper than preventing a cavity or keeping your teeth white. This is because your oral health has a direct impact on the overall wellness of your body. The next time you floss at home or schedule a checkup with your dentist at Teresa Wade DDS – Family Dentistry in Andrews, TX, smile as you consider the amazing often overlooked benefits for your teeth as well as your whole body.

Good dental care prevents gum disease, which research demonstrates to be linked to certain unhealthy bacteria thriving in our mouths. Medical experts have labeled these bacteria associated with gum disease which allowed them to follow their appearance outside of the mouth causing pathology and illness in other medical complications, including the following concerns:

• Heart Disease: as the patient’s  gums become inflamed, they bleed with eating, brushing, flossing, well, most any contact with those inflamed tissue will bleed and release  bacteria into the bloodstream. Those bacteria travel through the veins which you body sends directly to the in your heart for the blood to be deoxygenated. Bad bacteria will ultimately be pumped into the arteries where the inflammatory process contnues there as it did in the gums but there the result is contributing to atherosclerosis, which hardens the arteries by developing plaque and blocking blood flow. This atherosclerotic pathology increases our risk of heart attack and/or stroke.
• High Blood Pressure: That same buildup inside our arteries causes heart disease along with high blood pressure. Some common complications associated with high blood pressure include stroke, metabolic syndrome, and even heart failure.
• Diabetes Mellitus (DM): Gum disease makes it more difficult to control your blood sugar. The chronic inflammatory process places demands on your body’s defense systems, resulting in requiring more insulin which the body is already in short supply because of the DM. Blood sugar levels climb higher as the body attempts to assist in this battle, however, inadequate insulin leaves too much sugar within the blood stream, hence further complicating the gum disease and the overall health of the body. DM patients find themselves much more  likely to have difficulty maintaining healthy oral tissues.

For the sake of your health, keep up with your daily dental care and visit your dentist twice a year for a checkup. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call Teresa Wade DDS – Family Dentistry at (432) 523-7782. Dr. Wade has served Andrews with high-quality dental services for many years and will help you maintain a bright, white smile and healthy gums for years to come.

Call today we would love to see you.