Why is the connection between oral health and overall health often overlooked?
For some reason, the mouth got separated from the body and the field of medicine however many decades ago, and I think it's still often overlooked today, the importance between your oral health and your systemic health. There are a lot of connections, just to highlight a couple of them.
What is the main link between oral health and systemic health?
The main link is with gum disease. So when your gums are inflamed and bleeding, the mouth is an entryway point into the body. If your gums are inflamed and bleeding, that allows bacteria and viral pathogens to get directly into the bloodstream. This has been related to poor outcomes with diabetes and blood sugar management, numerous cancers, adverse pregnancy outcomes, a number of systemic conditions, heart attack, and stroke.
How do oral health issues like plaque affect the body?
You see the plaque in the mouth get into the arteries and blood vessels inside the system, and we find those bacteria when we do biopsies of stroke and heart attack victims. So there are a lot of connections between oral health and systemic health, mostly with gum disease, but some with cavities.
Are there other systemic conditions linked to oral health issues?
The bacteria that cause cavities have been linked to certain types of dementia. So there are a lot of things that we can do for you at the dental office for not just your dental health, but to help improve your overall health and quality of life.
What is the impact of maintaining healthy teeth and gums on longevity?
People with healthy teeth and gums on average live 7 to 10 years longer. So I know no one really likes coming to the office, but do it for yourself, do it for your overall health.
What other health screenings do you offer at your office?
In addition to all of the stuff I just mentioned, we do other health screenings at the office. So we screen for airway and airway management. I do sleep medicine, dental sleep medicine at the practice.
How are snoring and sleep apnea related to overall health?
Similar to a number of things being linked between oral health and overall health, snoring and sleep apnea also impact overall health. So about 20% of people who snore have sleep apnea. Snoring is the tongue collapsing against the back of the airway. Sleep apnea is when that gets stuck 10 seconds or more, 5 or more times per hour.
What are the consequences of sleep apnea?
Snoring is the tongue collapsing against the back of the airway. Sleep apnea is when it gets stuck 10 seconds or more, 5 or more times per hour, and your oxygen level in your bloodstream goes down and it puts a lot of stress on your organs.
What diagnostic tools and treatments do you offer for sleep issues?
So we do a screening of the tonsils, we have a 3D x-ray machine to look at the adenoids. I look at the growth and jaw development. All these things can impact sleep and sleep apnea, and about 20% of people who snore have sleep apnea. We also offer home sleep tests at the office that are read by a board-certified sleep specialist in the state of Virginia, and we also have dental appliance options for treating snoring and sleep apnea.
And we also have dental appliance options for treating snoring and sleep apnea. So do it for yourself, not just for your teeth and gums, but for your overall health. Give us a call, (703) 451-4500.