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How Poor Oral Health Can Negatively Impact Your Body

How Poor Oral Health Can Negatively Impact Your Body

Oral health and overall health are closely linked. Visiting your dentist can help make sure that your teeth are bright, white, and cavity-free. However, these visits also help take care of your gums, preventing and treating gum disease. Regular cleanings and periodontal treatment can help lower the risk of developing serious health issues connected to poor oral hygiene.

Many health conditions are either worsened, caused by, or connected to gum disease, including these:

Fevers From Infection

A normal fever can spike between 100.4 F and 104 F. A fever can be caused by an infection anywhere in the body, including your mouth. If you develop an abscess or other infection due to poor oral hygiene, you may find yourself with a fever, pain, and other severe symptoms. This may be a medical emergency. Reach out to a dental professional as soon as possible, or visit your local emergency department if you can't keep the fever under control with over-the-counter medication. Many dentists' offices keep emergency appointments available for these types of situations, as well.

Cardiovascular Disease

All orthodontists are trained dentists, but only five percent of trained dentists are also educated as orthodontists. No matter which type of professional you see, it's vital that you manage your oral health regularly in order to stay healthy overall. Bacterial infections in the gums that cause gingivitis and periodontal disease can get into the bloodstream and have a dramatic effect on the heart. There's strong evidence correlating poor oral health to blood clots, heart attacks, and stroke. If you have a history of cardiovascular issues in your family, pay special attention to your oral health so that you can prevent these issues.

Erectile Dysfunction

Around 30 million men in the U.S. are affected by erectile dysfunction symptoms. Men with severe gum disease are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, compared to those with healthy teeth and gums. Spending more time daily on your oral hygiene routine may help improve your overall oral health, but it may also help reduce the symptoms of ED. If you're struggling with one or both of these conditions, it may be worth considering additional oral health measures to see if you can improve the situation. Talk to your doctor and dentist about the issues that you're experiencing, as they may be able to work together on a treatment plan.

Diabetes

Diabetic patients are more prone to infection from gum disease, which can then spread to other locations in the body. In addition, uncontrolled gum disease can make blood sugars harder to control. If you're diabetic, it's especially important that you make regular appointments with your dentist. Proper oral hygiene can make it easier to keep your blood sugar in check and help you stay healthier overall. Otherwise, you may find that you're carefully cooking your meals, exercising, taking your medication, and your blood sugars are still out of control. Speak to your dentist about the fact that you're diabetic so that they can include this in your overall treatment plan.

It's easy to put off going to the dentist for a cleaning, assuming that it's not an important part of your overall health care. However, oral health is actually an extremely important part of your overall health. Neglecting these trips to the dentist can worsen your diabetes, lead to severe medical crises, cause issues with your heart, or even contribute to erectile dysfunction symptoms. Schedule an appointment for an initial cleaning and overall evaluation with a dentist near you today, so that you can take care of your gums, your teeth, and your entire body.

What Is Pre-Diabetes?

What Is Pre-Diabetes?

From Mayo Clinic News Network, Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)

According to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 86 million Americans age 20 and older have pre-diabetes. “If you’ve been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, it means your blood sugar levels are not high enough to be classified as Type 2 diabetes but are high enough to indicate a need for change,” says Anne Bauch, registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic Health System.

A normal fasting blood sugar level is below 100, whereas a level of someone with pre-diabetes is between 100 and 126. Once levels have surpassed 126, it is classified as Type 2 diabetes, which indicates that your body resists insulin or doesn’t produce enough of it to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

“When you have pre-diabetes, sugar begins to build up in the blood stream rather than fuel your cells. This is when insulin resistance occurs, which is believed to be the No. 1 cause of pre-diabetes,” adds Brauch.

A healthy weight allows insulin to work more efficiently and to keep blood sugars within a normal range. A healthy diet and regular exercise are the best ways to bring your blood sugar levels back to normal.

What are the risk factors for developing pre-diabetes?

— Body mass index (BMI) greater than 27

— Family history of diabetes

— Sedentary lifestyle

— Age 45 or older

— Carrying weight in your abdomen

— Previous diagnosis of gestational diabetes (developed while pregnant)

When should I be tested? If you’re 45 or older, you should have your fasting blood sugar checked every year during your physical. If you’ve had gestational diabetes, it is important to have your blood sugar checked each year, as there is a 60 percent chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Are there any symptoms?

Often, people do not know they have pre-diabetes because they do not experience any symptoms. However, Type 2 diabetes symptoms may include:

— Fatigue

— Blurred vision

— Frequent urination

— Increased thirst

What’s my next step?

“After diagnosis, a referral to a diabetes educator can be initiated to begin a carbohydrate control meal plan along with an exercise routine. Diabetes educators teach lifestyle skills to manage pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. We help patients with meal planning, exercise, medication management and monitoring blood sugars,” says Brauch.

Talk to your health care provider if you have any questions or concerns about diabetes or if you develop any Type 2 diabetes symptoms.

©2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: Doug via Flickr

This Week In Health: Matters Of The Heart

This Week In Health: Matters Of The Heart

“This Week In Health” offers some highlights from the world of health news that you may have missed this week:

One Third Of Diabetes In The U.S. Is Undiagnosed: Diabetes affects up to 14 percent of the U.S. population – an increase from nearly 10 percent in the early 1990s – yet over a third of cases still go undiagnosed, according to a new analysis. Screening seems to be catching more cases, accounting for the general rise over two decades, the study authors say, but mainly whites have benefited; for Hispanic and Asian people in particular, more than half of cases go undetected.

Independent Group Finds New Cholesterol Drugs Far Too Costly: An independent non-profit organization that evaluates clinical and cost effectiveness of new medicines said announced prices for a just-approved class of potent cholesterol lowering drugs were far too high, according to a draft report released on Tuesday.

Less Invasive Heart Valve Surgery Safe For Patients In Their 90s: A modern technique for replacing heart valves without major surgery is safe even for very elderly patients, researchers say. The procedure can yield “excellent short- and mid-term outcomes in a patient population with a lethal disease that without this technology would undoubtedly die,” according to Dr. Vinod H. Thourani from Emory University.

Image: Jo Christian Oterhals via Flickr

One Third Of Diabetes In The U.S. Is Undiagnosed

One Third Of Diabetes In The U.S. Is Undiagnosed

By Lisa Rapaport

(Reuters Health) – Diabetes affects up to 14 percent of the U.S. population – an increase from nearly 10 percent in the early 1990s – yet over a third of cases still go undiagnosed, according to a new analysis.

Screening seems to be catching more cases, accounting for the general rise over two decades, the study authors say, but mainly whites have benefited; for Hispanic and Asian people in particular, more than half of cases go undetected.

“We need to better educate people on the risk factors for diabetes – including older age, family history and obesity – and improve screening for those at high risk,” lead study author Andy Menke, an epidemiologist at Social and Scientific Systems in Silver Spring, Maryland, said by email.

Globally, about one in nine adults has diagnosed diabetes, and the disease will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.

Most of these people have Type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes, which happens when the body can’t properly use or make enough of the hormone insulin to convert blood sugar into energy. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to nerve damage, amputations, blindness, heart disease and strokes.

Average blood sugar levels over the course of several months can be estimated by measuring changes to the hemoglobin molecule in red blood cells. The hemoglobin A1c test measures the percentage of hemoglobin – the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen – that is coated with sugar, with readings of 6.5 percent or above signaling diabetes.

People with A1c levels between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent aren’t diabetic, but because this is considered elevated it is sometimes called “pre-diabetes” and considered a risk factor for going on to develop full-blown diabetes.

Menke and colleagues estimated the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected on 2,781 adults in 2011 to 2012 and an additional 23,634 adults from 1988 to 2010.

While the prevalence of diabetes increased over time in the overall population, gains were more pronounced among racial and ethnic minorities, the study found.

About 11 percent of white people have diabetes, the researchers calculated, compared with 22 percent of non-Hispanic black participants, 21 percent of Asians and 23 percent of Hispanics.

Among Asians, 51 percent of those with diabetes were unaware of it, and the same was true for 49 percent of Hispanic people with the condition.

An additional 38 percent of adults fell into the pre-diabetes category. Added to the prevalence of diabetes, that means more than half of the U.S. population has diabetes or is at increased risk for it, the authors point out.

The good news, however, is fewer people are undiagnosed than in the past, Dr. William Herman and Dr. Amy Rothberg of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor note in commentary accompanying the study in JAMA.

In it, they note that the increase in diabetes prevalence between 1988 and 2012 seen in the study was due to an increase in diagnosed cases, and that overall undiagnosed cases fell from 40 percent in 1988-1994 to 31 percent in 2008-2012.

This “likely reflects increased awareness of the problem of undiagnosed diabetes and increased testing,” they told Reuters Health by email.

The drop in undiagnosed cases, they added, may be due in part to the newer, simpler A1c test, which doesn’t require fasting or any advance preparation.

It’s also possible that new cases of diabetes are starting to fall for the first time in decades because more people are getting the message about lifestyle choices that can contribute to diabetes, noted Dr. David Nathan, director of the diabetes center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

In particular, more patients now understand that being overweight or obese increases the risk for diabetes, Nathan, author of a separate report in JAMA on advances in diagnosis and treatment, said by email.

“Behavioral changes, including healthy eating and more activity can prevent, or at least ameliorate, the diabetes epidemic,” Nathan said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1IWnTLH , http://bit.ly/1Ob6W7c and http://bit.ly/1QmAn5o JAMA, online September 8, 2015.

Photo: These blood glucose test strips are to use with the GlucoTel – Blood Glucose Monitoring and Diabetes Management System only. The test strips are used to measure blood glucose (sugar) in capillary whole blood. (bodytel via Flickr)