The title of this article may make you think that saying something may influence your health. Your words most likely have an impact on the people around you, but this article has a different focus. This article’s goal is to stress the importance of healthy aging, as well as the importance of a person’s gums and teeth. 

What Can Go Wrong?
Fundamentally, two things can go amiss with a person’s jaw. One potential problem is that teeth can become decayed. The second potential problem is this article’s main focus: your gums can become infected. Infection occurs when bacteria live along the teeth and form a sticky material that hardens and forms plaque, which later becomes tartar.

The bacteria can make you sick — a more significant outcome than simple discomfort at the gum infection site. Organs can be affected by resulting disease. A mild infection of the gums is commonly known as gingivitis, and a more severe infection is known as periodontitis. Gingivitis and periodontitis are both associated with diseases of the body, including coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and lung infections (bronchitis and pneumonia). The systemic response to infection, called inflammatory response, may result in the development of an infection in distant organ and vessel diseases. Infection increases blood sugar that worsens diabetes control. In addition, infecting bacteria of the gums can be inhaled by the lungs, which can result in lung infections. If periodontitis is not treated, the jaw bone can be eroded, and teeth can be loosened or lost.

Risk Factors for Gum Disease
As always, age is a big risk factor for gum disease. The older we get, the more likely we are to encounter this problem. Diseases like diabetes or immune deficiency also make us vulnerable. Other factors that we can’t control are gender: men are more likely to have gingivitis and female hormonal influences can cause flare-ups. Genetics are another factor that we can’t control; approximately 30 percent of people with gingivitis have a family history. Risk factors that we can control include smoking, stress, intimate contact with known infected people, poor oral hygiene, crooked teeth, and defective tooth fillings. These factors that we can control should be eliminated so that our gums can stay healthy. 

Diagnosis
Signs that a person has gingivitis include bad breath or a bad taste that doesn’t go away.  Other signs include swollen gums that are red and painful to touch, gums that bleed often with brushing, and loose and sensitive teeth. Subtle changes in bite or the way the teeth fit together and any change in the fit of partial dentures also are common signs of infection. To determine the presence of infection, radiological studies can be used or a dentist can measure “pockets” created by the infection.

Treatment
Like some dental procedures, gum health and treatment is relatively inexpensive and painless. Maintaining healthy gums and teeth through daily brushing and flossing are key for helping rid the teeth of bacterial build-up and dangerous plaque. A routine trip to the dentist for “professional” cleaning at least annually is also required. If gingivitis occurs, a dentist can treat it. Or, a dental specialist called a Periodontist can perform “deep cleaning” to scrape away plaque and tartar below the gum line, which may require local anesthetic to avoid pain. In some cases, antibiotics may be used. If deep cleaning doesn’t correct the problem, more extensive dental surgical procedures may be performed. 

Summary
Various methods can be used to maintain a healthy mouth. Ultimately, the rest of the body can be spared from diseases and infection. The bottom line is that good oral hygiene and regular dental visits is another important strategy for healthy aging.   

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 Gingivitis