Gum disease does not just affect the health of your gums and teeth, it leads to other medical issues as well. That is why you need to have the infection treated immediately.
How Gum Disease Impacts the Health
When you have gum disease that is not treated, the condition worsens over time. While the early stages of gum disease (gingivitis) don’t seem all that bad, the symptoms become increasingly worse as the infection progresses. When this happens, the gums pull away from the teeth. This allows disease-causing bacteria to get under the gum line and into the bloodstream. As a result, people who have gum disease also can suffer from medical ailments, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Why Gum Disease Is Linked to Other Health Problems
Therefore, when gum disease worsens, the bacteria of the infection can spread throughout the body. In fact, in severe cases, a patient may suffer from an abscess or contract a fever. In these, instances, the infection can quickly become an emergency, as sepsis can develop, which can break down organs, eventually leading to death. Therefore, you should treat a gum infection early to avoid complications and problems down the road.
Moreover, gum infections, when not treated, have been shown to be linked to conditions, such as lung cancer or cardiomyopathy. Again, the bacteria from the infection can easily spread through the blood stream when it becomes advanced. A gum infection can also increase the glucose levels of diabetics, which, in turn, can become problematic, as the increased levels can lead to further problems with decay and inflammation.
Do you have gum disease? If so, you need to contact us about scheduling an exam and consultation. Doing so is important for your oral health as well as your health overall. Give us a call today. We can arrange a time to fit you in for a comprehensive periodontal evaluation (CPE) so we can determine the extent of the disease.
