When gum disease gets severe, it can turn into periodontitis. It’s a problem that can not only cause tooth loss, but have other effects that are unrelated to your mouth. Make sure you understand these 4 ways periodontitis can affect your health.
Heart Disease
If you get periodontitis, your risk of developing heart disease will be much greater than if your gums were healthy. Dentists say that your odds almost double, which is due to the bacteria that causes periodontitis, which is known to cause infections and destroy tissue. If the bacteria travels to your arteries, it can cause plaque buildup there as well.
Stroke
Another potential problem of having periodontitis is a stroke. The reason that periodontitis can cause a stroke is similar to why it can cause heart disease. The …show more content…
Since it is an autoimmune disorder, it happens when your body’s immune system starts attacking healthy tissue. Periodontitis can have a greatly affect this condition.
There have been studies performed that show how periodontitis can cause rheumatoid arthritis symptoms to be more severe when compared to those without gum disease or those that have mild periodontitis. Researchers are unclear as to why periodontitis has this kind of impact on rheumatoid arthritis, but one theory is that your joints and gums have similar cells, which cause them to react the same way to an infection.
Asthma
Periodontitis can have a surprising affect when it comes to increasing your chance of developing a severe form of asthma. Asthma will cause respiratory problems like wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing. In some severe cases, asthma can even be deadly. A study has discovered that people who have periodontitis have a 500% greater chance of developing a form of severe asthma compared to those that don’t have