Here’s the setting: You’re in your chair at your dentist’s office, getting your bi-annual cleaning. You’re confident that your teeth are going to get a good rating because you brush twice a day like you’ve always been told to do. But then you hear the dreaded words: gum disease.
What’s going on?
The reality behind oral health is that you can’t just focus on your teeth. Your gums need some TLC, too. Without caring for the soft tissue that protects your tooth roots, your whole body suffers. In this guide, we’ll highlight the impact of gum health on your overall wellness.
Gum health is crucial if you want to keep your teeth. Beyond that important factor, though, your gums are also connected to your health in other ways. Gum disease damages this connection, causing chronic medical conditions that can be lifelong.
This damage doesn’t happen immediately. Periodontal disease — the official term for diseases of the gums — happens progressively. The first stage is gingivitis. At this level, your gums may bleed lightly when you brush or floss, and they may be sensitive.
Gingivitis, if caught and treated early, is completely reversible. But without care, it progresses into periodontitis. This advanced stage of gum disease causes permanent damage to bone and gum tissue. While the effects are lifelong, the progression can be slowed or halted with professional and at-home care.
Periodontitis is a disease you can’t ignore. The symptoms start out mild, but as the condition progresses, they become painful and visible. You’ll notice problems like:
Obviously receding gums (your teeth look larger)
Shifting teeth that change your bite
Loose teeth that eventually will lead to tooth loss without treatment
Swollen, bleeding, red gums
Bad breath
These symptoms might seem limited to the mouth, but they all connect to your body in different ways.
Gum inflammation is the start of a breakdown in communication and connection throughout the body. Let’s look at the symptoms of periodontitis and see how they impact overall health.
The danger of receding gums is that this problem happens when there’s inflammation in the body, which strains your immune system. Your body says there’s an infection, and your white blood cells circulate throughout the bloodstream to counter potential threats.
Although this is a natural way humans survive, chronic inflammation from gum disease keeps your body on high alert for too long. Stress can increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and other serious health conditions.
Losing your teeth can significantly impact your mental health if you’re self-conscious about your smile. While this is an important part of your overall health, many people don’t realize that tooth loss also has a physical effect beyond your oral health.
The immediate impact of tooth loss starts in the jawbone. Because the tooth no longer stimulates the jaw with connection, it begins to shrink. The open gap between teeth causes the surrounding teeth to shift or drift, which affects your bite. When your bite is too far off, it's hard to chew your food properly, leading to digestive issues and poor nutrition. Crucially, research shows that tooth loss is linked to a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
No one wants to deal with the symptom of bad breath, especially since we don’t usually notice it until it becomes embarrassing. However, gum disease can affect your salivary glands, reducing your ability to wash away bacteria naturally. This condition, called xerostemia, increases tooth decay and may lead to teeth grinding and jaw clenching (read this article by JS Dental Lab for more information).
Ultimately, what seems like a minor issue becomes a systemic danger to your overall health, causing lifelong damage that could have been prevented with proper oral hygiene.
Before you head to the dentist again, grab that floss and take 30 seconds a day to start using it. Poor brushing and flossing, combined with a sugary and acidic diet, lead to periodontal disease.
The good news is that you can halt the progression of gum issues with a strong oral hygiene routine. Brush twice a day, floss daily, and avoid eating too many sweets or acidic foods. Talk to your dentist to find out about other habits that can help you keep your teeth and gums healthy. A few small changes now may lead to better overall body health later.
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