If the Eyes are the Window to the Soul, Is Your Mouth a Window to Your General Health?

Many have been credited with the quotation, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Most of us have seen or heard this quote before. Perhaps we have even pondered the meaning. We may have explored this with some depth either on our own or perhaps in school. I am not sure why I was pondering this analogy to the mouth; however, my mind is known to analogize quite a bit. For me, analogies afford an ability to perhaps simplify something that may be significantly more complex. So, I ponder this idea of the mouth being a window to our general health.
For one example, recent research has found that poor oral hygiene may be a sole reason why some patients have high blood pressure. Certainly there are a number of reasons why one may have high blood pressure; however, this research may point to a very important reason why we should care better for our mouths.
In further pondering this idea of the mouth being a window to our general health, the presence of tobacco has been found through research to be associated with cardiovascular disease and pulmonary problems, among other things. I have posted on tobacco quite a few times; even smokeless tobacco carries many of these kinds of risks.
Morever, in continuing this idea, periodontal disease has been linked to multiple general diseases and conditions. These include chronic kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, arterial disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and diabetes. Periodontal disease has also been linked to pre-term and low-birth-weight babies. For more on this, I invite you to follow this link.
Based upon recent research, it does seem that the mouth is a window to your general health. We all should consider this more in the way we care for our mouths, in the way we regularly obtain periodic professional dental care, and in the ways in which we may use tobacco. Certainly there are other ways we can substantiate this idea as well. We all probably can do better.
If you are in need of professional preventive care, and you are interested in finding a dentist, we invite you to call my office at (972) 250-2580.