SAN ANTONIO, TX - October is National Dental Hygiene Month and a good time to remind Soldiers about the Army's Go First Class program which links Soldiers' annual examination with a dental cleaning visit, in order to optimize oral health and help every Soldier attain and maintain optimal dental readiness, Dental Class 1.
Obtaining a dental cleaning at least annually and practicing an oral health care regimen daily helps keep one's mouth, and especially gums, healthy. Did you know there are more than 500 species of bacteria that live in the gooey buildup of plaque that forms on teeth and below the gum line every day? When these bacteria are left to grow undisturbed, they can cause gum disease, also known as periodontal disease.
Smoking increases the chances of periodontal disease, because it impairs your body's ability to heal and fight off germs. Early gums disease is usually painless, so warning signs are limited to occasional bleeding while brushing or an unpleasant mouth odor. Left untreated, gum disease eventually damages the bones and tissues that support the teeth. About one out of every two adults age 30 or over suffer from gum disease, making it one of the most common chronic diseases in adults, and the main cause of adult tooth loss.
Everyone should know that gum disease and tooth loss can prevent one from eating healthy food. But it may also adversely impact one's overall health as well. The chemicals that the body makes to try to fight the gum disease increase inflammation, and the bacteria living in the gums produce byproducts that enter the bloodstream and cause problems in other areas of the body. This is thought to be why gum disease has been linked to diabetes, poor pregnancy outcomes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. New studies are showing that patients with these conditions who also have periodontal disease have lower healthcare costs and fewer hospital admissions if their periodontal disease is treated.
More studies have to be done to confirm that eliminating the periodontal disease is decreasing inflammation levels enough to have a direct effect on these other health conditions. Regardless of those findings, it's beneficial to have a healthy mouth. Talking, eating, and smiling are things that everyone wants to be able to do every day for the rest of their life, so as the American Academy of Periodontology says, "Love the gums you're with!"
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