Gum Disease

1) Gum disease in general are very common. Almost three in four adults over the age of 35 have some form of gum disease.
Normal, healthy gums should be firmly attached to the teeth and underlying bone. They are pale pink in light-skinned people and brownish gray in people with darker complexions. If you have gum disease, your gums would be inflamed, red and swollen. They will bleed easily and may be tender. People with poorly controlled diabetes and pregnant women are especially at risk.This indication should be noticed immediately and need to be checked.

2) How is health of the mouth linked to the heart? People with gum disease are almost twice as likely to have coronary artery (heart) disease than people without gum disease. As gum diseases, bacteria from the mouth can get into their bloodstream. These bacteria produce protein that enables platelets to stick together in the blood vessels of the heart forming clots. Blood clots can reduce blood flow to heart and could lead to heart attack.

3) The mouth serves as a “window” to the rest of the body, providing signals of general health disorders. Oral conditions have an impact on overall health and disease. Our mouth is the entry point to your digestive and respiratory tracts, and some of these bacteria can cause disease. Bacteria from the mouth can cause infection in other parts of the body when the immune system has been compromised.

4) How significant can the dental health be in diabetic patients? Diabetic patients are generally prone to infections. People with uncontrolled diabetes can have serious dental problems and it could lead to many other health problems. Dental treatments such as implants can also lead to failures in case of uncontrolled diabetes. So it’s mandatory to check your blood sugar levels and bring it under control to have good gum health and bone health.

5) What risks could my dental health cause to general health?
Heart disease.
Strokes.
Diabetes.
Giving birth to a premature or low-birth-weight baby.

6) Gum diseases and pregnancy; how is it even correlated? Pregnant women who have gum disease may be over three times more likely to have premature baby and so have a low birth weight. There is a one-in-four chance that a pregnant woman with gum disease will give birth before 35 weeks. This could be because of gum disease may raise the levels of the chemicals that signals for uterine contractions that induces labour.