There is certainly a connection between mental and physical health

　　There is certainly a connection between mental and physical health – a fit mind can be tantamount to a fit body and vice versa. But did you also know that oral health; or the health of our teeth says a lot about our overall health as well? Not just that; dental health actually impacts the rest of the body’s health.

　　The reason that we should all be aware of this mouth-body connection is that gum disease and poor dental health are actually very common. An estimated 35% of Americans are thought to have some or other form of gum disease (periodontal problems) and as much as half of the population could have gingivitis. There is the theory that if you take good care of your teeth, you are also doing a favor to your overall fitness and health.

　　Consider for instance the fact that if you tend to get a lot of dental infections, then this probably means that your immune system is weak.

　　This impairment of the immune system could be due to different reasons – side effects of certain medications or therapies, presence of disease, and so on.

　　There is another way in which other health problems impact dental health negatively – if you are on certain kinds of medication, these may result in dry mouth problems, or they may mean loss of taste.

　　Further they could also increase the chances of tooth decay and yeast infections.

　　Dental checkups are important to have regularly; not just for the sake of oral health. It is possible to detect other underlying health problems by examining the teeth. So it could well be that a routine visit to the dentist could help to bring to light health problems that were hitherto undetected.

　　If you have certain medical conditions, you may need to use specific dental health care protocols and you may have to exercise more care with your dental hygiene. There are some health problems that put the teeth at greater risk of decay and increase the likelihood of gum disease.

　　The fact that dental and overall physical health is connected is demonstrated by this as well: – if you have diabetes, your levels of blood sugar could become exacerbated by unhealthy teeth of unhealed oral problems.

　　Over the years researchers have also found that there is a connection between poor dental health and other problems. Gum disease in particular can we a warning sign of problems to come – it may indicate the presence or the likelihood of heart disease and stroke, and even kidney disease some researchers have found. Studies have also found a link to exist between premature birth and gum disease; another reason to take particularly good care of teeth during pregnancy.