Ikuta D.D.S

There is an old saying, "The mouth is a window to the health of the body," so a healthy mouth means a healthy body. There are multiple studies correlating the overall health and dental health confirming the old saying. More specifically the presence of periodontal disease increases the likely hood of low weight pre-term births, heart disease, vascular function, and diabetes. The science was compelling enough for insurance companies to do some studies on their own, and they concluded: treating periodontal disease decreases the overall cost of treatment for patients with diabetes, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease or stroke.

There is a substance produced in the liver called C-reactive protein (CRP), and it is produced by the liver in response to chronic inflammation. The level of CRP is actually a better indicator of a person's risk for a cardiac event than cholesterol. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammation, and there is a direct link between periodontal inflammation and the levels of CRP.

There is a bad synergy between diabetes and periodontal disease. Unfortunately people with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing periodontal disease. The flip side of the coin is that periodontal bacteria challenge blood sugar control, and increases the rate of diabetes. Periodontal disease also increases the complications of treating diabetes complications. It can increase the mortality rate by a factor of 7 or more in the later years. Fortunately, with treating periodontal disease and great home oral hygiene it can significantly improve the compromising factors of blood sugar control.

Periodontal disease, although painless, is far from benign. It can contribute to the onset of diabetes, exacerbate the complications of diabetes, increase the risk of heart disease, and increase the risk of a low weight pre-mature birth. So the next time you hear your gums are bleeding don't shrug it off and say to yourself, "Yeah, because you poked it with the sharp thing," remember it is just the tip of the iceberg for the malevolent symptoms that go unseen.