Never Take Your Healthy Teeth for Granted

Making regular trips to the dentist is critical when it comes to preserving your overall health. Many people overlook routine dental cleanings, but these dental services can be valuable tools in helping you ward off disease. Plaque that builds up on the surface of your teeth can contribute to the development of gum disease.

This oral health condition can have a serious effect on your health, so routine cleanings to remove excess plaque are important. Here are three negative gum disease-related conditions that you might have to deal with if you overlook routine dental cleanings in the future.

1. Respiratory Illness

Maintaining clean teeth can be beneficial in helping you ward off respiratory illness. Plaque that breaks off the surface of your teeth can find its way into your lungs where it can cause serious infection and chronic respiratory problems.

If you have gum disease, then you likely have a significant amount of plaque on the surface of your teeth. Investing in routine cleanings to get rid of excess plaque before it can travel to your lungs can be a simple and effective way to avoid any respiratory problems brought on by gum disease in the future.

2. Heart Disease

Experts believe that there is a strong connection between gum disease and the overall health of your heart. Heart disease can leave you susceptible to a number of serious problems like heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke.

Gum disease results in the inflammation of your gums. This inflammation can be caused by an increase in the number of bad bacteria in your mouth. Some of these bacteria can find their way into your bloodstream and travel to your heart, where they can wreak havoc by causing inflammation of your cardiac system.

Getting your teeth cleaned regularly to help ward off gum disease can be a great way to improve your heart health as well.

3. Pregnancy Complications

If you are planning to become pregnant, it's important to recognize that gum disease could have a negative effect on your pregnancy. Mothers who fail to care for their oral health properly are at risk of delivering pre-term babies or babies with low birth weights.

Investing in regular dental cleanings can be a simple and effective way to help avoid these pregnancy complications and ensure the health of your unborn child.

Understanding the serious effects that gum disease can have on your health will allow you to recognize the importance of routine dental cleanings in the future. Contact a dental clinic, like Treman & Treman Family Dental Care, for more help.