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Did you realise that your oral health is closely connected to your immune system? Unless you maintain good dental health, it can negatively affect your overall health. The connection is because of the bacteria that call your mouth home. At any given time, your mouth can play host to hundreds of species of bacteria, and the warm moist environment is perfect for them to thrive. Unfortunately, some of these bacteria are harmful, and if you fail to brush and floss regularly, they can quickly grow out of control.

When these bacteria grow out of control, they infect your gums, eventually causing them to bleed. As your gums bleed, the bacteria from your mouth can enter your bloodstream and once inside can set off an immune response in your body. In the short term, this response won’t do any harm, but when it continues, it can create the ideal conditions for serious health problems to develop. The inflammation caused by mouth bacteria is linked to health problems that include heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and respiratory diseases, and it can even affect pregnant women and unborn babies too. Luckily, if you practice good oral health and visit us regularly for professional preventative dentistry, you can avoid oral health problems while helping to protect your overall health.