The state of your oral health reflects your overall well-being   by Eveline Gan     Like most people seeking dental treatment, Mr Freddy Lee (not his real name) had walked into his dentist's clinic, expecting to get his swollen, bleeding gums fixed promptly. What he never expected to find out, however, was that his severe gum condition was a tell-tale sign of diabetes.   Mr Lee's dentist, Dr Choy Keen Meng, sounded the alarm after discovering that repeated treatments did nothing to ease Mr Lee's gum problem.   "The patient was diagnosed with diabetes after I advised him to go for a medical check-up. We now see a direct relation between his blood glucose levels and his gum health," said Dr Choy, clinical director of Toofdoctor Dental Surgeons.   If the eyes are the window to the soul, then dental experts will say that goes on in your mouth is a reflection of your overall health.   "The mouth is the entry point of many bacteria. Recent evidence has linked oral health to many systemic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases," said Dr Choy.   This is why that annoying dry mouth or bad breath you have may not always be just due to those durians you ate.       The gum connection   According to Dr Krushna Reddy, a dental surgeon at Pacific Healthcare Specialist Centre, periodontal disease - characterised by swollen, inflamed gums - is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.   "Current study findings suggest that periodontal infections create wounds in the mouth that enables bacteria and their products (endotoxins) to travel in the blood stream, thereby enhancing inflammatory damage to the blood vessels," she explained.   Dr Choy warned that bacteria in the mouth may even cause heart attacks or stroke. When they enter the blood stream, the bacteria may contribute to the formation of blood clots by attaching themselves to fatty plaques in the blood vessels.   Persistent bleeding gums may signal serious diseases such as leukaemia or platelet disorders, said Dr Choy.   The bad news doesn't end there.   If your gums are chronically inflamed, your body releases cytokines, which can disrupt insulin function and lead to insulin resistance and then diabetes, added Dr Choy.   He said that diabetics are also twice as likely to develop gum disease when their blood glucose levels are poorly controlled.   "This is because diabetes makes all the tissues in your body more susceptible to infection, and your oral tissues like the gums are not spared. Diabetics also often suffer from dry mouth, which in turn can lead to a higher risk of dental caries," he explained.       That dry, gritty feeling in your mouth   While a dry mouth - one of the major causes of bad breath - may be caused by reasons such as dehydration and certain medications, this seemingly-innocuous condition may signal something more sinister.   According to Dr Choy, dry mouth, or Xerostomia in medical lingo, may be due to a medical condition called Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease whereby the immune system attacks the tear and salivary glands.       Smokers get it worse   Because smoking suppresses the human immune response, including to oral toxins, smokers are more likely to suffer from more frequent and severe forms of oral health problems.   Dr Choy explained that this is because nicotine has a vasoconstriction effect in periodontal tissues, causing gum tissue circulation to decrease by as much as 70 per cent during the smoking of a cigarette.   "Smoking also lowers the oxygen level in the mouth, creating a more conducive environment for disease-causing oral bacteria. These bacteria are also known to cause bad breath and discoloured teeth," he said.   Besides having a good oral hygiene, the experts stressed the importance of regular visits - every half yearly - to the dentist's.   "Visiting your dentist regularly allows early-stage oral health diseases to be identified as soon as possible before they get to an unsalvageable state. Oral health is also linked to many systemic diseases, hence a trip to the dentist's isn't just to check on your teeth or gums anymore," said Dr Choy.             This article was featured in Today July 19, 2011. http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC110719-0000014/The-mouth-health-connection