What Are the Health Risks of Gum Disease?

Right now, close to 65 million adults have some form of gum disease.

It can be a nuisance at best and potentially life-threatening when at its worse. Because of the potential risks involved, you need to do all that you can to keep gum disease at bay.

Below we’ll dive into the health risks of gum disease, so you can take your oral health seriously.

1. Gum Disease Is Linked to Heart Problems

Heart health is perhaps the most striking issue that gum disease presents.

Experts at Harvard Medical School claim that the plaque on your teeth and gums can be linked to the plaque in your arteries. So if you have a heavy buildup of plaque in your gums, there’s a good chance you also have constricted arteries.

This makes your heart have to work harder and puts you at a greater risk for heart attack stroke, blood clots, high blood pressure, and other issues.

These issues will only get worse with age and deteriorating health and can put you at risk for more serious complications. If you are suffering from gum disease, you will also want to take a visit to your physician in order to get your heart checked out.

2. It Leads to a Weakened Immune System

Dealing with gum disease drastically weakens your immune system, and leaves you open to other health problems.

When your body is constantly fighting the infection that comes with gum disease, it makes it more difficult for your body to fight off other issues. It is not uncommon for people who suffer from gum disease to then go on and deal with respiratory infections, flu, and other related issues.

3. Erectile Dysfunction Issues Are Possible

Erectile dysfunction is very prevalent right now, with some studies indicating that 52 percent of men deal with these issues.

Heart health is directly linked to penis health, so if your circulation is hampered by gum disease, erectile dysfunction is a very real possibility. This adds negative mental health ramifications to your physical health, since suffering from erectile dysfunction can create confidence issues.

4. You Can Develop Problems with Arthritis

The risk of Rheumatoid arthritis is also a very real possibility when you are dealing with gum disease.

The same is true in reverse, as people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis are 8 times more likely to deal with gum disease. When your joints are swollen and impaired, you’ll deal with chronic pain that makes it difficult to do everyday tasks.

Since arthritis is also very much a circulation issue, you will want to heal your gum disease problems so that you can improve the condition.

5. Gum Disease Makes You More Susceptible to Cavities

Of course, gum disease is an oral health issue, first and foremost.

Because of this, the infection can spread to your teeth and create cavities. When these cavities worsen, it can be excruciating just to bite down on your food.

It can get to the point that you need to have the teeth extracted in order to prevent the infection from spreading. At its worse, you might have to get dental implants installed in order to replace teeth that have to get pulled.

6. Diabetes Complications Are Exacerbated

Whenever you are dealing with gum disease, you will also see that diabetes issues can become further complicated.

The reason for this is that gum disease causes a sharp rise in your blood sugar. Since diabetes is all about abnormal fluctuations in your blood sugar, gum disease can speed up the onset of diabetes and create more severe symptoms in people that were already diagnosed with diabetes.

Diabetes is on the rise today, so suffering from gum disease can create more problems than it is worth.

7. The Risk of Cancer Is More Prevalent

In many situations, people end up dealing with gum disease as a result of smoking or tobacco use.

Since these substances lead to cancer, you are only increasing the risk once you also develop gum disease. Aside from oral cancers, gum disease leaves you more open to cancers in the kidneys and pancreas.

These are aggressive forms of cancer, so you would do well to take your gum disease issues seriously.

8. It Can Lead to Chronic Bad Breath

Chronic bad breath is yet another one of the unfortunate side effects of gum disease.

While bad breath doesn’t necessarily create serious problems, it is almost always a side effect of poor health. Having bad breath can be incredibly frustrating and will make it difficult for you to communicate effectively.

9. Your Cognitive Function Can Be Hampered

When you have gum disease, it is a sign that your blood vessels are constricted.

This also means that blood vessels to your brain will be blocked. As a result, it’s difficult for you to think clearly, and you can develop cognitive issues over time.

10. Gum Disease Leads to Chronic Pain Issues

Of course, chronic pain is one of the most notable effects of gum disease.

There’s nothing fun about dealing with pain and irritation in your mouth from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. When this happens, you might also begin using painkillers on a regular basis, which can create a dependency and tax your internal organs.

Watch out for These Health Risks of Gum Disease

These are the health risks of gum disease that you need to watch out for. By keeping tabs on these problems, you’ll be able to manage your oral health and your health as a whole.

Keep checking back for more info on gum disease and other oral health issues.