Dental care is essential to your overall health. Unfortunately, a lot of individuals can find it hard to afford effective dental healthcare. As a result, they might be tempted to delay necessary treatment if they can’t enroll in a healthcare plan.
However, there is more to your teeth than what meets the eyes. You may not realize it, but dental issues can have severe consequences elsewhere in the body. There are plenty of options to make dental healthcare more accessible to all. Many dental clinics also have funding plans and financial options for their clients. You can also find governmental assistance depending on your situation. But, in the meantime, you cannot afford to postpone dental treatment indefinitely. Here are some of the most significant risks.

It can aggravate dental health
Everything could start with a simple issue, such as crooked teeth. You might assume that a crooked smile only has aesthetic importance. However, failure to straighten teeth could lead to much more serious complaints. Indeed, a crooked smile can make it hard to access and brush your teeth. As a result, the back teeth are more vulnerable to cavity and infection risks. Additionally, the position and inclination of the teeth can make it difficult to floss. You might harbor tiny particles between your teeth, which remain invisible to the naked eye. In the long term, they can damage the enamel or even cause gum infection.
It can lead to heart diseases
Gum disease can be unpleasant. Typically, gum disease is caused by a bacterial infection of your gum. This could be linked to a bad tooth or even a cut that occurs at the gum’s level. However, the gum is connected to your blood vessel. The bacteria that caused gingivitis could enter your bloodstream and travel to your heart. A study found a correlation between dental health and cardiovascular events. While it doesn’t mean that untreated gum disease will systematically cause a heart attack, poor dental health puts you at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.
It is connected to your brain health
Just as bacteria can enter your bloodstream and reach your heart, they can also reach your brain. Therefore, someone who has an infected tooth could find that the infection can also spread to the brain. Symptoms can vary, starting with typical symptoms of an immunologic response such as fever and chills. However, when the brain is affected, some functions can be compromised. You might experience visual changes or even personality changes. You could also find that one side of your body becomes more difficult to control. Seizures and loss of consciousness are also alarming signs of the infection location in the brain.
It can affect your diet
Last but not least, dental health can force you to change your diet. Sensitive teeth or swollen gum can contribute to diet restrictions in order to manage the pain. In the long term, you could aggravate your immunologic response, as restricted diets can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Your teeth are at the center of your health. They help fuel your body and replenish its energy. But they are also connected via the bloodstream to the rest of your body. Bad teeth can weaken your immune system and threaten your overall health.