Poor Oral Health Can Cause Medical Complications

If the dental experts at Dentistry in Streetsville told you poor dental habits could lead to infertility in women and erectile dysfunction in men, what would you do? Most would heed the warning, because those are just two of the issues that could arise if you don’t work to improve your dental hygiene.

Oral health is much more than simply the health of your teeth and gums. Your mouth is a gateway for all kinds of things that can affect both your dental health and, if it’s poor, your overall health. From aching teeth to bleeding gums, the state of your mouth is a litmus test for measuring your overall health, especially when infection and inflammation caused by poor oral hygiene start to spread. For example, a person with poor oral health is a good candidate to contract heart disease. The bacteria that cause periodontal disease can also get into the bloodstream and cause arteries to clog and harden. Anything that can lead to blood flow problems can increase your chances of suffering a heart attack. Think about that one the next time you skip brushing your teeth after a meal.

Those same blood flow problems can definitely put men at risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction. Bacteria from diseased gums can get into the bloodstream, inflame blood vessels, and block the flow of blood to the genitals. This could severely limit the possibility of achieving an erection. 

When it comes to cancer and dental hygiene, the results are equally unsettling. People who have poor oral health run a higher risk of contracting kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer and blood cancer, not to mention the oral and throat cancers caused by habits like smoking that can contribute to poor oral health. 

There are indications that poor oral health can also contribute to dementia, increase respiratory infections, make diabetes more difficult to control and potentially affect pregnancy. The best way to avoid all of this, of course, is to take precautionary measures like brushing and flossing, limiting sugar intake and using dental products like toothpaste and mouthwash containing fluoride. And very importantly, continue your regular professional dental visits, even during your pregnancy. Ask us at your next visit. 

Book your dental appointment and then visit Dentistry in Streetsville at 100 Queen Street South, Suite 101, in Mississauga to discover more about the ways we can help improve your dental health. Call 905-821-8221. Also, visit us on Facebook and Instagram at DentistryInStreetsville.