Mouth-Body Connection – Parsippany, NJ
How Your Mouth and Body Can Impact Each Other
Did you know that your oral health is closely connected to your overall health? What happens in your mouth can impact the rest of your body, and vice versa. In fact, in many cases, our dentists and specialists can recognize and potentially help treat serious conditions that can have lasting effects. Our unique multi-specialty dental office can provide the care you need to keep your smile—and your whole body for that matter—as healthy as possible. Read this page to learn more about the mouth-body connection from our Parsippany, NJ dentist.
How Does Oral Health Affect Your Body?
As a moist environment, your mouth is full of bacteria. If you don’t maintain healthy oral habits, it can mean trouble inside and outside of your oral cavity. For example, at first glance, an untreated cavity can seem small, even rather harmless, but the infection can spread not only to your other teeth but also to your jaw bone. Severe untreated cavities have even been known to result in death in some cases.
Another prime example of significant oral issues impacting the body is with gum disease. Untreated gum disease can have serious consequences in and out of itself, including permanent damage to your jaw bone and even tooth loss. However, when the inflammation-causing toxins created by bacteria that result in gum disease enters the bloodstream, they can travel throughout the body and wreak havoc. Here are just some examples of medical conditions that you are at an increased risk of getting when you have gum disease:
- Heart disease
- Cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack or stroke)
- Alzheimer’s
- Kidney disease
Although taking care of your mouth doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have perfect health, it can decrease your body’s exposure to harmful bacteria.
How does the rest of your body affect your oral health?
Many medical conditions have symptoms that show up in the mouth. For instance, if you have poorly controlled diabetes, you’re more likely to experience chronic gum disease. Also, some autoimmune diseases and oral cancers manifest through sores or abnormal, discolored patches in or around the mouth.
How Can Our Multi-Specialty Approach Help You?
At Rauchberg Dental Group, we’re proud to be able to meet your every oral need under one roof. On our staff, we have skilled dentists and specialists with advanced training who can help you stay healthy inside your mouth and beyond! Here’s how our providers can make a difference for you:
- General dentists: When you come to our dental office in Parsippany on a regular basis for your checkup, we can be your first line of detection for serious issues, such as oral cancer, cavities, and gum disease, so you can get the treatment you need for a longer, better quality of life. Plus, the professional cleaning eliminates plaque and prevents future oral problems.
- Orthodontist: Crooked or misaligned teeth are more difficult to keep clean, allowing plaque and bacteria to build up and cause oral issues. Straightening your teeth not only makes an aesthetic difference, but also makes it easier to prevent these problems from developing in the first place.
- Periodontist: If you have gum disease, our periodontist can provide the specialized treatment you need to eradicate harmful bacteria and get back to full oral health.
- Endodontist: Before your cavity advances too far, our endodontist can perform root canal therapy to stop the infection from spreading. That way you can also preserve your natural tooth.
If it has been a while since your last checkup or you know that you have oral issues, now is a great time to get back on track. Our caring team looks forward to the opportunity to help you achieve and maintain a happy, healthy smile for years to come! Contact us today to schedule an appointment.