Oral health: The mouth-body connection

Opening your mouth is a little like opening up the bonnet of your car. An expert taking a quick look can get a good idea of what's working, what's not, and what should be tuned up regularly to keep your body's systems up and running at their best.

Your teeth and gums, it seems, may speak volumes about your well-being. For a start, there are conditions that affect oral health. Researchers continue to look at the association between cavities, gum disease, and heart disease, although a cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been established. There are some diseases that are associated with an increased risk of infections. Diabetes increases the risks of gingival and periodontal inflammation and infections.�Also, loose teeth could be a sign of osteoporosis.

When there's an underlying condition, your dentist may be able to draw an important connection between your oral health and your overall health. So sit back, relax and open wide. Here's what you need to know about the mouth-body connection.

Oral health & diabetes

Bleeding gums, dry mouth, fungal infections, cavities -- these oral signs might alert your dentist to a serious health issue: diabetes. And these symptoms also might suggest other serious conditions.

Diabetes and your mouth have blood sugar in common. If blood sugar levels are out of control in your body, they're out of control in your mouth. With sugar to feed on, bacteria find a happy home in which to grow and thrive. The bacteria then attack the protective enamel layer on your teeth and over time, as the enamel breaks down, cavities develop -- one of the dental signs of diabetes.

Someone with diabetes has more mouth woes to worry about. Uncontrolled diabetes reduces the body's first line of defence against infection -- white blood cells -- which can then put oral health at risk. With bacteria teeming around the gums from high blood sugar levels, periodontal or gum disease is an easy next step.

Unfortunately, because diabetes lowers your resistance to infection, managing periodontal disease isn't easy. If you have diabetes and periodontal disease, you have to get your blood sugar levels under control for the sake of your mouth as well as your body.

Your dentist should be one of your best friends if you are among the 2.5 million Britons living with diabetes. Frequent professional cleaning is important in helping to prevent or control periodontal disease, and home care means flossing and brushing regularly as advised.

Oral health & heart disease

If, on your last visit to the dentist you were told you had gingivitis or gum inflammation, cavities, missing teeth, molar infections and/or decay so severe it's left only the roots of a tooth, your dentist may say your mouth isn't the only thing being attacked.