At Liberty Dental Hygiene, we recognize the significant and growing body of scientific evidence pointing to the important relationship between our oral health, general health, and overall wellness.
Research overwhelmingly shows how poor oral health is related to numerous chronic health conditions including heart & cerebral vascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, dementia, respiratory health, reproductive health and digestive health etc...
For those of us with a diagnosis of type II diabetes, pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome disorder, poor oral health is shown to not only impede our efforts at managing blood sugar levels, but additional evidence indicates those with diabetes are also at greater risk of developing cavities and gum disease.
Studies are beginning to emerge pointing to connections between poor oral health, female infertility and miscarriage. Other related research also suggest women with gum disease are statistically more likely to have pre-term or low birth weight babies.
We are often asked how poor oral health can possibly be associated with multiple conditions affecting so many systems and organs in our bodies. Although the answer to this question is quite complex, inflammation-- the body’s natural way of healing can ironically also contribute to the development of disease--is seen to be a common factor underlying many of these conditions. Simply put, oral disease and it’s associated inflammatory action localized to the mouth, is thought to eventually trigger more wide-spread chronic inflammation throughout our bodies increasing our risk of disease.
In addition to a quality diet, exercise and stress reduction, consider looking after your oral health by brushing, flossing, and visiting your dental hygienist as part of your overall self-care regimen to minimize inflammation throughout your mouth, your body and to improve over health and wellness.
Remember, your health care providers are the ones to approach if you have questions about the management of inflammation and its role in your health and overall wellbeing. These can include your team of oral care professionals, medical doctors, therapists, counsellors, chiropractors, etc. Recently, Liberty Dental Hygiene attended a very informative seminar presented by Dr. Corina Kibsey who is a practitioner of naturopathic medicine in the Toronto Area. Please visit her website to learn more about the management of systemic inflammation and the enhancement of overall wellbeing through naturopathy: naturopathinthegta.com