So how does the mouth connects to the rest of the body? Everything that is eaten has to be swallowed. When nutrition is mentioned, the mouth is the first organ that food contacts. So how can you fully nourish yourself if you have badly broken teeth, sensitive teeth, an abscess, an ulcer and/or pain? However, many forget this only until pain arrives.

So how can we solve this problem? Preventive Care. Preventive dental care should not only be discussed in health care reform but it should also be discussed with medical physicians. Many barriers have prevented this discussion such as education, public policy, insurance and closed minded individuals. Hopefully, we will see many more discussions in the future.

As of now, many people have neglected their mouths thinking that it does not relate to the body. It is now a known fact that periodontal disease is a risk factor of heart disease, strokes, premature pregnancy, and diabetes. Apart from the health risks, loosing multiple teeth is not attractive and can actually cause the face to age quickly. Fake denture teeth in acrylic can never function as well as your natural teeth. More denture and partials are lost in restaurants than in any other place. We can only guess as to why this happens!?

Waiting until the last minute can be more costly due to missing more time from work as well as needing more expensive work. So the next time you think that dental treatment can wait or “just pull it”, think about this information.