Doorway to Your Health

Did you ever think that your mouth is an actual doorway to your body’s organisms? It’s a place where the main systems of your body (digestive, respiratory, blood systems) meet each other. It’s also the main door for different substances to enter your body: food, liquids, even bacteria and viruses! Your mouth often can serve as a mirror to your health. An expert taking a quick look at it can get a good sense of what's working, and what's not, and what should be tuned-up regularly to keep your body's systems running at their best. This expert is your dentist.

Often the first sign of a disease shows up in your mouth. In other cases, infections in your mouth, such as gum disease, can cause problems to other areas of your body. Daily brushing, flossing and your mouth’s saliva are key defenses against bacteria and viruses. But harmful bacteria can sometimes grow out of control and lead to periodontitis, a serious gum infection. When your gums are healthy, bacteria in your mouth usually don't enter your bloodstream. However, gum disease may provide bacteria a port of entry into your bloodstream. These bacteria can travel through your arteries to your heart, affecting your cardiovascular system.

Left untreated, gum disease usually leads to the loss of teeth and an increased risk of more serious diseases, such as respiratory disease. The bacteria in plaque can travel from the mouth to the lungs, causing infection or aggravating existing lung conditions.

PEOPLE WITH DIABETES ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO GUM DESEASE AND IT CAN PUT THEM AT GREATER RISK OF DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS

There is also a link between diabetes and gum disease. People with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease and it can put them at greater risk of diabetic complications. "Diabetes is the one disease that we know can have a direct impact on infections in the bones and gums around the teeth," says Doctor Yekaterina Levin.

Diabetes and your mouth have blood sugar in common. If blood sugar levels are out of control in your body, they're out of control in your mouth. With sugar to feed on, bacteria find a happy home in which to grow and thrive. The bacteria then attack the protective enamel layer on your teeth, and over time as the enamel breaks down, cavities develop – one of the dental signs of diabetes. Your dentist should be one of your best friends if you are among the 24 million Americans living with diabetes.

“Don’t forget that your jaw is a bone, too,” Dr. Levin continues, “So, losing a tooth can be a sign of osteoporosis, a disease that causes the bones to become less dense over time as the body loses calcium. The risk of tooth loss is three times greater for a person with osteoporosis than for person free from the disease. To avoid it, you should take calcium and vitamin D, exercise and eat right.”

About half of all Americans, no matter how healthy they are, are more likely to develop oral health problems – these people are women. They are at higher risk for periodontal disease and gum disease during puberty, pregnancy, their menstrual cycle each month, and then menopause. There is a correlation between high hormone levels in the body and inflammation in the gums surrounding the teeth. When hormone levels are very high, women can be more sensitive even to a small amount of plaque or bacteria.

Being pregnant and having periodontal disease may also put your baby at risk. The disease can affect the placenta or amniotic fluid, possibly causing premature birth. Unfortunately, treating periodontal disease during pregnancy may be too late, because the infection may have already spread in the woman's body. That’s why it is so important to have excellent oral health before you get pregnant.

Frightening? And that’s not the entire list of possible diseases connected to the mouth. Such diseases as AIDS, Sjogren's syndrome, certain cancers, eating disorders, syphilis, gonorrhea and substance abuse may make their presence known in your mouth.

To maintain good oral health, your dentist may suggest that you take these simple steps:

- brush and floss your teeth daily;

- visit your dental professional regularly;

- eat a healthy diet;

- do not smoke;

- if you are pregnant, be sure to eat healthy foods and maintain good oral health;

- brush your children's teeth for them until they are able to write in script their own name.They should then be able to brush their own teeth with your guidance.

Dr. Yekaterina Levin

7000 Bay Pkwy., Ste. C

Brooklyn, NY 11204

(718) 837-1797