Untreated infections such as periodontal disease could strain your immune system. One reason is the body’s automatic inflammatory response to bacteria, regardless of where that infection is.
When your body is exposed to bacteria, whether it’s gum disease or some other type of infection, your immune system will try to fight off the infection on a cellular level. One way it does this is through inflammation or swelling.
Inflammation occurs when your body sends white blood cells (WBCs) and fluids to the infected area to eradicate the bacteria in that part of your body. This process can cause swelling, redness, and warmth in those spaces. These are signs that your body is working to eliminate the infection. Inflammation is an important way that your body protects itself and helps to heal.
Unfortunately, inflammation also damages tissues at a cellular level, which is why chronic inflammation is concerning for anyone. When periodontal infections trigger swelling around the teeth, those tissues can become so damaged that they detach from the tooth and fail to reconnect, unless they’re treated promptly and by a professional.
For people with periodontitis and co-existing medical conditions like diabetes, inflammation can be difficult—if not impossible—to manage. Because one condition plays off the other and the body is continually on the alert, the cyclic inflammatory response is less effective. The key is to break the cycle by treating and managing both gum disease and the co-existing condition through a joint effort.
As bacterial infections are treated in one area of the body, the immune system can work more effectively in the others. This reduces overall swelling and, in turn, provides better treatment results for co-existing conditions.
If you have active gum disease, your mouth isn’t the only thing you need to worry about. A healthy smile will give you the chance at a healthier body, too!