Erie, Harborcreek and Millcreek, PA

You probably know that gum disease can harm your teeth and mouth, but did you know that it also might affect your sexual health if you are a man? A recently published scientific review examined a potential link between chronic gum disease and low testosterone levels.
Published in the American Journal of Men’s Health, this review examined eight different scientific studies that explored the relationship between testosterone and chronic gum disease. Six of those eight studies found an association between low testosterone levels and chronic gum disease. One of the studies associated chronic gum disease with higher testosterone levels, while the eighth found no significant association.
This variance in findings, and also how the studies were conducted, make it difficult to determine whether there is, in fact, a proven link between testosterone levels and your risk factor of gum disease. However, gum disease can certainly have a negative impact on the sexual and reproductive health of men. Most notably, intimacy issues such as erectile dysfunction can stem from cardiovascular health problems, rather than low testosterone. And serious, chronic cases of gum disease can lead to cardiovascular issues. In fact, patients with advanced cases of gum disease have been found to have approximately twice as high a risk factor for developing heart disease. This occurs because of the bacteria from your infected gums and mouth filter into the bloodstream, accumulating in the arteries of your heart. Another consequence of gum disease, however, is that it can impact men’s sperm count and sperm quality.

 

Health ramifications of gum disease

In addition to the threat of cardiac disease, gum disease has a host of other negative ramifications on your oral health and overall health, including dental pain, receding gums, tooth loss, and bone loss. This can lead to other issues, such as premature aging or malnutrition due to limited dietary choices stemming from living with lost teeth.

 

Prevention

This underscores the importance of every individual—man, woman or child—to visit their dentist twice per year as recommended to receive a professional dental cleaning and undergo a comprehensive examination of their teeth and mouth. Remember, your best defense against gum disease always is to prevent it from developing in the first place. In addition to maintaining the schedule as mentioned above for dental visits, you can protect yourself against gum disease by brushing and flossing daily, and refraining from behaviors such as smoking that can increase your risk of an infection developing in your gums.

 

Periodontitis Treatment in Erie

If you have gum disease or are showcasing some of the symptoms of the disease such as bloody, infected, or irritated gums, then you need to receive professional treatment from your Erie dentist as soon as possible. Failing to do so can cause permanent damage to your teeth. If you would like to learn more about Laser Dentistry of Erie and how we can treat gum disease or methods of prevention, call our office at (814) 825-2615 to schedule an appointment.

Laser Dentistry of Erie is proud to provide total oral health care for people in Erie, PA.