Dr. Leopardi Reminds Patients the Dangers Bad Oral Care Has On Overall Health

(Newswire.net — July 12, 2016) Greenwood Village, CO — From an early age, people are taught that good oral care is vital to a person’s health. From brushing teeth regularly to scheduling dental visits every year, people strive to have the perfect smile while avoiding many of the common dental problems such as cavities, tooth loss and gum disease. Yet Dr. Aldo Leopardi is quick to tell his dental patients they also need to understand that good oral health will have a significant effect on the overall health of the body.

The mouth area is not a separate part of the body. It has nerves, blood arteries, and tissues that interconnect. Due to this interconnectivity, a problem that occurs in one area, such as bacterial infection, has the potential to spread to other areas of the body and cause medical complications. When a person skips out on taking good care of their teeth, they leave themselves open to developing inflammation of the gums and an increased amount of bacteria entering the bloodstream. This bacterium can travel into the heart, brain and lungs to cause infections and diseases.

Medical scientists have been working hard to see what correlations there are between bad dental health and many common diseases that afflict people. They have seen significant signs that the more this bacterium grows and propagates, the chances of developing chronic and acute infections increase.

The gum disease bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivitis, has been found in people who have dementia, according to a study conducted by the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The bacteria that is allowed to grow inside the mouth and along the gums has the potential to enter the brain to cause Alzheimer’s disease. The Japanese Dental Science Review study published in 2009 has seen a correlation to periodontopathic bacteria and inflammation caused by poor oral care with certain cardiovascular diseases. Also, research studies published in the Clinical Microbiology Reviews indicate that gum disease may also lead to an increase in chronic bacterial infections to the lungs that can cause pneumonia.

Dr. Aldo Leopardi stresses that the range of medical issues linked to poor dental health has been steadily growing. People with gum diseases may increase their chances of developing diabetic complications, respiratory infections, heart diseases, reproductive issues, mental health issues and premature births. It has become vital for dental practitioners to continually remind patients that skipping good oral health habits can have more serious and detrimental problems to their overall health. Reinforcing the importance of dental health throughout a person’s lifetime has to become a primary service that dentists in all specialties must give to their patients.