Why Drugs, Tobacco, or Stress Can Affect the Health of Your Mouth
You have probably heard the same speech before from at least a thousand different people, but these risks not only affect the health of your mouth, but your overall health as well. The job of the periodontics specialist at Central Florida Periodontics is not to judge a person based on their personal habits or addictions, but rather to be supportive of positive choices that help improve your health. Following these tips are a great way to show patients how to prevent gum disease. Gum disease risks are much greater for those that take drugs and use tobacco. However, stress can also be a negative factor in oral health and may pose gum disease risks as well.
Drugs, including alcohol, can be very detrimental to the good health of your teeth and gums. Some alcohol treatment experts have stated that alcohol abuse can contribute to gum disease risks. Alcohol abuse will adversely affect the body
s natural immune system, which will eventually lead to increased risk for periodontal diseases like gingivitis (stage one) or periodontitis (stage two).
Other drugs that are smoked like marijuana, crack, or meth are very hazardous to the teeth and gums.
is a common phenomenon associated with this kind of abuse, and infections that are unchecked develop into serious oral issues for these patients. Any drug that interferes with the immune system (virtually all street drugs and pharmaceuticals that can be abused) can contribute to gum disease risks.
Tobacco use is another vice or addiction that can cause many oral health problems, not to mention cause a variety of other more serious health risks including cancer and heart disease. Tobacco use will also help infections spread quicker or make them worse. If you want to know how to prevent gum disease, consult with a periodontics specialist here at Central Florida Periodontics. A periodontics specialist can give you tips for prevention or even help with treatment if the problem already exists.
Stress can be a component to a number of health related issues. More research over time has continued to show this trend of stress adversely affecting a number of different parts of the body. The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) says emotional stress can impact the health of your mouth too. Again, it relates back to the immune system. High stress leads to immune system deficiencies that can contribute to greater risk of developing gum disease.
The stage one of gum disease, called gingivitis, is both preventable and curable by practicing good oral hygiene and avoiding drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and stress in your life. Avoiding stress and drug use can prevent stage two gum disease, called periodontitis, but once you have it, you can only treat the symptoms and keep it in check. It
s not curable like gingivitis.
Even if you have stage two gum disease, though, you can still keep a clean, healthy mouth and treat the symptoms in a number of ways, depending on the severity of the case, by visiting a periodontics specialist that can provide medicine, surgical techniques, or other means to help keep gum disease under control and avoid gum disease risks.
Schedule a consultation with a periodontics specialist at Central Florida Periodontics to see what can be done about preventing or treating gum disease. A healthier mouth is just one step away!