What will happen if you don't take care of your teeth? You likely would say: your teeth would rot, your breath would stink, and your teeth might even fall off. All valid answers, but those aren't all. Whether you believe it or not, there's also a link between your oral health and illnesses like cardiovascular and diabetes.All the more reason why you should take care of your teeth more diligently.

Now, you are no doubt wondering how does your teeth affect unrelated parts of your body. Scientific studies indicate that there's a link between periodontal disease and heart illness, diabetes and even stroke. So how does this happen? There are 2 basic methods how these occur :

1. The rise in atheroma ( lipid deposits in the artery wall ) formation rate thanks to the prolonged inflammatory nature of Periodontitis. The white blood cells in the area of the gum infection produce chemical messengers which get into the blood stream and drive the uptake of cholesterol into the artery walls. Treatment of Periodontitis has been shown to reduce these chemical messenger levels. 

2. Bacteria can get into your blood stream ( bacteraemia ) and these can lodge on the greasy artery walls. These bacteria can initiate blood clot formation and can also occupy the artery wall. DNA from bacteria has been insulated from greasy artery walls in most patients who died from a coronary or stroke.

With these in mind, it is natural to feel as if your dental oral hygiene isn't enough. But, as long as you do it regularly, it is enough. We all just need to be more aware of our health. And we must also always visit our dentist regularly. For the proper dental treatment and preventive dentistry if needed. We all could benefit from preventive dentistry every time.

So before your fitness deteriorates and become more subject to these illnesses, ensure you practice correct dental oral hygiene. If you are in the area, you may have your mouth checked by the best Toorak dentists.