We are back with another edition of our monthly blog! These articles are designed to give you the tools and tricks to maintain and manage your oral hygiene. Today’s topic comes from the American Association of Periodontology’s study of inflammation caused by weight and its impact on periodontal diseases.
If you are looking to avoid a trip to your periodontist, or the installation of dental implants, there are several things that you can do at home to ensure the longevity of your oral health. Of course, the triad of dental hygiene (brushing, flossing, and rinsing) has been mentioned several times throughout this blog’s past. However, today we will be speaking about how your physical health and strength can impact your dental hygiene as well.
Studies conducted with 160 volunteers in Thailand have deduced that those that are overweight or obese have higher risk of periodontal disease than their healthier counterparts. This can be caused by a few key factors. Individuals with a BMI (body mass index) of 23-25 have accumulated weight through the addition and formulation of fat among their body. These fatty areas emit chemical and hormonal signals to our bodies that imitate those of an infection, increasing levels of cytokines, or cells that destroy soft and hard tissues.
These cytokines spread through our body, activating inflammatory cells throughout to produce more and more of these damaging cells. These cells target our gums as much as it does any other body part and can increase gum inflammation and bacterial growth within our mouths. Without addressing this issue, the risk of periodontal disease increases dramatically.
If you wish to avoid a visit to your periodontist to manage periodontal disease or avoid the chance of having to install dental implants in your future, it would be wise to start paying attention to your physical health. Tackling obesity can be a daunting task, and is a long journey to embark on, but the pay off for achieving your physical health goals is immeasurable.
We hope that you found this month’s article informative and helpful. We seek to continue to provide you the information needed to maintain your oral health, so be sure to tune back in for more tips and tricks in the future. Thank you for reading and learn more at Innovative Periodontics & Implants!