The surprising connection between oral health and general wellness

Toronto dentist Dr. Amanda Morel understands the direct connection between good oral hygiene and overall health and wellness.

As the founder and director of Fill the Gap Dental Outreach, a charity that provides volunteer oral care to low-income patients who can’t otherwise afford dentistry, Morel regularly sees the way that poor oral hygiene can harm the body’s overall health. 

“Sometimes we’re dealing with patients that have never been really taught how to brush their teeth, how to use floss or anything like that, so inevitably, the bacterial load in their mouth is going to be very high,” she said. 

“There’s going to be bacteria that could potentially get into the bloodstream and cause problems in different areas, different organs of the body.” 

Oral hygiene doesn’t just translate into a more attractive smile. Dental experts say that healthy mouths are a sign of overall health, with some evidence suggesting that cavities, gum disease and even bad breath can mean trouble for the rest of the body. 

Why is a healthy mouth so important? 

Humans use their mouths for both biological and sociological purposes, says Canadian Dental Association president Heather Carr. 

“[A healthy mouth] allows you to smell and taste properly. You can chew without pain if your mouth is healthy; you can swallow properly,” Carr told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC’s The Dose. 

“It allows you to convey emotions and improve your self-esteem.”

A full set of healthy teeth also allows us to communicate clearly, adds Morel. 

“Without certain front teeth, the sounds that we make with teeth come out as a lisping kind of sound,” she said. 

Additionally, because of how teeth sit in our mouths, too many damaged or missing teeth change the pressure exerted on the remaining teeth and the mouth itself. 

“The pressure of a bite should be ideally shared between a full set of teeth,” Morel said. “If there are multiple missing teeth, excess pressure is placed on the remaining teeth, and this can cause problems such as teeth mobility … [and] cracking and breaking of teeth.”

Greasy foods like fried chicken, sugary foods like candy and acidic foods like steak sauce can all degrade healthy teeth, and cause problems like cavities. 

Regularly consuming carbonated beverages like pop, as well as drinking lots of caffeinated and alcoholic drinks can harm our overall oral health. Not only do alcoholic and caffeinated drinks dry out the mouth, they’re also acidic and can cause tooth decay. 

Smoking, too, is a well known cause of poor oral health. 

The most common issues Carr sees are tooth decay and gum disease.

How do unhealthy teeth affect the rest of the body? 

Poor oral hygiene doesn’t just affect parts of the mouth like teeth and gums. High levels of oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream, leading to issues with the heart and lungs, she said. 

“In the most serious cases, if [bacteria] gets into the bloodstream, individuals get bacterial endocarditis,” said Carr, referring to a life-threatening inflammation of the inner lining of the heart’s valves and chambers. 

Additionally, some studies suggest that people with gum disease can also give birth to babies with low birth weight, or babies that arrive earlier than expected. 

“There is a proven relationship between oral and general health,” said Morel. 

Maria Salome Lomlomdjian is a Toronto-area dentist who specializes in providing inclusive dental care to patients with accessibility needs. 

She regularly treats patients who don’t eat with their mouths, but still need regular dental visits to clean their mouths and protect their overall health. 

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“My patients that are in hospitals or they are intubated or they have cerebral palsy and they don’t eat with the mouth, they can still grow [bacteria] in the mouth,” she said. 

“The patients [can] end up dying in the hospital with pneumonia because the bacteria grows in the mouth. One of the the ways that we prevent that, for example, in Brazil, when I did my residency program … is by going and cleaning the mouth of the patients that are intubated.”

Morel adds that oral disease shares common risk factors with chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases.

When she sees patients whose gums worsen between dentist visits, she says she sometimes suspects the patient might have undiagnosed diabetes and recommends patients contact their family doctors for testing. 

“Before diabetes is treated, or if it’s being treated but not successfully and blood sugar levels are not under control, that definitely worsens gum disease,” she said. 

“So the two go hand in hand.”

How does saliva help reduce bacteria? 

Regularly brushed teeth and healthy, disease-free gums aren’t the only contributors to oral health. 

Sufficient saliva levels in the mouth can reduce the likelihood of gum disease and cavities, while also helping break down bacteria that would otherwise be harmful to the rest of the body. 

“Your saliva bathes your teeth and it helps keep things moving and cleaner,” said Carr. 

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Certain antihistamines, antidepressants and even some pain relievers like acetaminophen can all cause dry mouth. 

“If people are on certain oral chemotherapy agents or radiation, that can also dry out your mouth.”

Carr recommends that people worried about a dry mouth should carry a water bottle to stay hydrated. 

How often should I see the dentist? 

Carr says dentist visits frequency depends on the patient and their needs. 

“Some people are fine once a year or more; other people I see every two to three months,” she said. 

“I think [every] six months is just a reasonable average for most individuals, but I really think you need to talk to your dentist about what is right for you.”

On average, she said people should brush their teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each time they brush, and floss their teeth at least once a day.