We feel a responsibility to provide health care education to our patients here in the beautiful San Diego area. While we publish guides to dental implants and other treatments, create a wide variety of posts, and offer email courses, we also want to answer questions we hear in our office.
Today’s question revolves around the bacteria living in your mouth. Is it healthy? Is it dangerous? These are great questions, as many patients know that not all bacteria is automatically bad for us. However, like bacteria in other parts of the human anatomy, there can be bacteria in your mouth that can be dangerous, not only to your oral health but to the health of your entire body. As Dr. Connelly notes, most doctors don’t offer dental health updates in their annual physicals, leaving patients with little idea about the number of harmful bacteria that can reside in our mouths.
If we don’t treat dental issues soon after they arise then we open the mouth up to harmful bacteria that sit and make a home in the trouble spot. Once these bacteria set up shop in our mouths, it’s easy for them to move to other parts of our body, attacking us and causing a litany of problems. The bottom line: Periodontal issues can be a gateway for harmful bacteria to enter your body and spread everywhere. We obviously don’t want this.
A study that examined 9,760 men over 16 years showed that there is a link between coronary artery disease and gum disease. Furthermore, the presence of gum disease and poor dental hygiene is a better predictor of total mortality than the presence of coronary artery disease.
These are powerful conclusions that matter to our dental patients in San Diego. We strongly recommend that you learn more about your dental health by reading through our Patient Education Center, contact us to make an appointment, and meet our team to help you take care of dental issues immediately. We’re proud to serve the San Diego area and would love to meet you and help you make your smile more beautiful and your body more healthy.