On the quest to better health, many forget one of the most essential parts of the body, the mouth. After all, almost everything we do starts at the mouth. We speak with our mouth, we eat with our mouths and even when we smell is has some connection with our mouth and its senses.
So why is it that the mouth at times get so little attention?
Even health care can be acquired without acquiring dental insurance, which goes to show that even as a society and even through business, little attention is placed in what could be detrimental to your overall health. Some have said that poor oral health could contribute to plaque in the arteries and thereby, poor heart health. Whether this has been extensively studied is not yet known as of this date however, patterns have emerged in some cases.
The Harbinger of Gum Disease
What brings about gum disease?
Gum disease can be attributed to a few different reasons all related to poor oral health management, or poor overall health management. Some of these cases could be due to the following:
- Poor Oral Hygiene
- Drug Abuse
Poor Oral Hygiene:
In many cases, most individuals don’t purposefully intend to have poor oral hygiene. Most individuals genuinely want to take care of their health and do what is adequate to maintain that goal till their end. However, for many different reasons, this simply does not become the case over time. Which can lead to some of the following common mistakes:
- Not cleaning and brushing properly could cause plaque over time.
- Only brushing once per day could be inadequate for proper care.
- Not going to the dentist for a cleaning and dental checkup twice per year.
- Smoking excessively can age the teeth at a faster rate.
- Drinking excessively without brushing after can cause poor oral health.
These previous reasons are just the tip of the ice burg. If this type of treatment on your teeth enamel, they will eventually begin to develop bacteria that can cause not only plaque but gingivitis as well. This can be further exacerbated if the poor dental treatment and lack of visits to your dentist continue to persist. Gingivitis can turn into a mild case of periodontal disease, otherwise known as gum disease, which will soon start eating at the jawbone.
Another reason you could get gum disease is through the excessive use of drug and drug addictive habitual patterns that are detrimental to your oral health. As was highlighted in in much more detail in this article.
Drug Abuse:
Drug abuse could be one of the worst actions you could take against your oral health and your overall health in general. Many consume vast amounts of drugs in America and across the world. And since the legalization of Cannabis, other countries and politicians have advocated for the legalization of even harsher drug compounds than what should be legally in the streets.
To top this off, prescription drugs are not better, drugs prescribed by a Doctor is abused just as much as street drug. Depending on the side of your country you live in, prescription drugs could be the number one abused drug in the region.
This is especially bad for your teeth and your enamel. Some of the causes that prescription drug abuse can bring about are:
- Dry mouth, which dries the tooth’s enamel making it more brittle and weakening it over time.
- Cavities which eats at the enamel and weakens the tooth over time.
- Plaque develops in the mouth over extensive and excessive drug use.
- With more time, periodontal disease starts to kick in.
- When that isn’t treated, the gum disease begins to eat at the gums and jawbone.
Treatment Methods and Recommendations
To get proper treatment, you should start with a consultation with your local dentist. Make sure to set up an appointment for a cleaning, you could do either:
- Regular teeth cleaning
- Deep cleaning
In most cases, you’ll only need the regular dental cleaning. If you have a severe case of gingivitis, you may need to speak with your dentist about getting a deep cleaning. A deep cleaning isn’t as bad as it sounds. It may present a little more discomfort and it may cost you a little more however, for the long-term effects, a deep cleaning is well worth it. It also sets up a great foundation on which you can continue to build a healthy lifestyle for your oral health.
If you are a drug abuser, the article presented at the beginning of this story can help you with some recommendation on where to start first. Of course, getting off the substance is step one. Implementing a new dental treatment to get your oral health back in order is a good next step. If you have dental insurance, speak with your dentist today and take advantage of the new limits added at the beginning of this year.
