{"id":100,"date":"2017-09-30T15:56:49","date_gmt":"2017-09-30T15:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boston-dentist.com\/blog\/?p=100"},"modified":"2017-10-09T15:58:35","modified_gmt":"2017-10-09T15:58:35","slug":"boston-dentist-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boston-dentist.com\/blog\/boston-dentist-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston Dentist Reminds You of Gum Disease\u2019s Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"family<\/a>Almost half of Americans have some form of gum disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a significant number — and it\u2019s one too many people overlook, says your Boston dentist. After all, you\u2019d be pretty alarmed if you knew almost 50% of people had a disease linked to uncontrolled diabetes, heart problems, and memory loss, wouldn\u2019t you?<\/span><\/p>\n

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We are (and there\u2019s more on the side effects of gum disease below). That\u2019s why this month, we\u2019re dedicating one of our blog posts to periodontitis (aka gum disease) — and the real, frightening impact it can have on your overall health. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gum Disease\u2019s Impact<\/span><\/h2>\n

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory oral disease. Inflammation is the body\u2019s response to infection, and if it\u2019s brief, it\u2019s actually a good thing. But when it sticks around with a chronic condition, it results in the loss of hard and soft tissue. <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, having inflammation in one area of the body increases the risk that you\u2019ll develop it elsewhere — meaning that the presence of gum disease leads to other inflammatory diseases in areas that seem disconnected from the mouth. Like blood glucose. <\/span><\/p>\n

The connection between diabetes and gum disease is so significant that the latter is now considered a side effect of uncontrolled diabetes. Fortunately, treating gum disease can help to control blood glucose levels, and vice versa. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gum disease that forms during pregnancy can also result in complications like low birthweight and premature labor. Pregnant women should visit the dentist at least once during pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other health conditions<\/span><\/a> linked to gum disease include:<\/span><\/p>\n