Nov 19, 2019

The Oral-Systemic Link: How Your Oral Health Destroys Your Internal Systems

This article was updated on January 22, 2024

How does your body feel?

I’m not talking about your pants size or your muscle tone. I’m talking about everything that can’t be seen, like the way your blood sugar levels react to a bagel or how hard your heart pounds after a workout.

Is your body thriving, or is it anchored by issues you can’t really explain? Believe it or not, those issues — migraines, bloating, weight gain, and so many more — may all be directly connected to your oral health.

Stop and think about it, really think about it, for a second. We treat the mouth like an estranged family member we’re forced to acknowledge twice a year at the dentist’s office. Our dental care even requires a different form of insurance than the medical care for the rest of the body! Through all of this, we’ve come to view the mouth as a separate entity that has no real influence on our general health.

And that’s exactly where we’re all getting it wrong! The mouth is so much more than another part of the body. It’s where everything begins. There’s a direct and powerful link between oral health and systemic health. Once you understand that oral-systemic link, you can take action to optimize your overall health.

What Is the Oral-Systemic Link?

Your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body. Just about everything that enters your body travels through the mouth. The way that your mouth reacts to and interacts with bacteria, viruses, and pathogens sets the pace for the rest of your body.

Saliva and the Body

Saliva isn’t just spit. It plays several vital roles that define your oral health and, consequently, your overall health as well:

Neutralizes acids in the mouth
Remineralizes enamel
Carries microorganisms from the mouth to the gut
Helps break down food for digestion

Healthy saliva is rich in minerals and enzymes, consistently neutral, and easy to produce. This gives saliva the ability to flow through your mouth after you eat and drink to neutralize lingering acids. By zapping these acids before they create damage, saliva helps protect your oral environment and maintain homeostasis.

At the same time, healthy saliva carries essential minerals like calcium and phosphate to nourish weak and deprived enamel. This process reverses the demineralization that occurs any time acids and sugars have a chance to settle on the teeth.

Once saliva has performed its vital responsibilities within the mouth, it travels down the throat and into the gut. As it does, it carries remnants of bacteria, food, sugar, and acid from the mouth.

This entire process is designed to keep your mouth and body healthy. Unfortunately, that’s not how the oral-systemic link works for most of us. The quality of our saliva becomes compromised due to the harmful, toxic toothpaste products we’re taught to use.

These traditional toothpastes destroy the quality of saliva by exterminating the good, productive bacteria meant to stop pathogens, fight inflammation, reduce decay, and support a strong immune system.

Since saliva can only do its job when it holds a neutral pH and contains plenty of minerals, we end up incapacitating our saliva every time we brush with traditional toothpaste! The results are easy to see:

Weak, brittle enamel
Buildup of plaque on teeth
Decay
Bad Breath
Swollen and bleeding gums
Chronic inflammation

But the damage doesn’t stop there! Remember that a portion of your oral microbiome travels into your gut every time you swallow. This gives harmful bacteria the opportunity to wreak havoc on your digestive system and compromise your other internal systems.

In fact, systemic diseases like colorectal cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis have all been linked to oral bacteria and infection.

Leaky Gum and the Body

Saliva isn’t the only element of the oral-systemic link. Bacteria can also sneak through your unhealthy gum tissue in a phenomenon I call leaky gums.

You’ve probably heard of leaky gut , a digestive disorder involving small holes in the intestinal wall. If you suffer from leaky gut, bacteria, toxins, and other harmful substances travel through those holes in the intestinal wall to infiltrate your bloodstream and damage healthy tissues.

Leaky gums occurs in a similar manner, but within the mouth instead of the gut. It develops when severe inflammation weakens gum tissue to the point that food particles, bacteria, and other toxins can sneak through gum tissue and into the bloodstream.

Just like leaky gut causes issues like fatigue, chronic pain, allergies, and brain fog, leaky gum is also responsible for systemic health complications.

There is a direct link with oral health and systemic health.

Gum Disease and the Body

Plaque is the “p-word” of oral health because it lays the foundation for extensive damage in the mouth. The sugars and carbohydrates in your food combine with the existing bacteria inside of your mouth to create acid.

Remember, acid has zero redeeming qualities. It undergoes chemical reactions with saliva and surrounding food particles to create sticky but colorless plaque. This breeds more and more plaque and accumulates quickly in the crevices of your teeth and along the gum line.

Since acid forms the base of plaque, this sticky substance slowly eats away at your gum tissue and tooth enamel, destroying the healthy structure of your teeth and laying the foundation for gum disease.

You can recognize gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, from these uncomfortable symptoms:

Bright red gums
Tender, painful gums
Bleeding from the gums, especially when brushing and flossing
Chronic bad breath
Increased tooth sensitivity
Tooth decay and cavities

If gingivitis is left untreated, it progresses into the more severe form of gum disease called periodontitis. More than 64 million American adults have periodontitis defined by the following signs:

Pockets between the gums and the teeth
Recurring gum abscesses
Loose and shifting teeth
Receding gums
Tooth loss
Degeneration of the jawbone

Unfortunately, the devastating effects of untreated plaque and tartar extend beyond the mouth. There’s a clear connection between poor dental hygiene and disease throughout the body. It’s a circle of disease, and it all begins where we least expect it: right inside of the mouth.

Endotoxins vs Exotoxins

It’s impossible to avoid all exposure to toxins, especially in today’s industrialized world. However, it’s still important to understand the toxins streaming through our bodies and how they pose threats to oral and systemic health.

Toxins are broken down into two categories: endotoxins vs exotoxins. Exotoxins are produced by certain species of bacteria to damage nearby cells. Endotoxins, meanwhile, are seen as harmful microorganisms and immediately trigger the body’s immune response of inflammation.

When poor oral health gives dangerous bacteria the opportunity to produce these exotoxins and endotoxins, you end up unknowingly swallowing toxins directly into your gut. This sets off a chain reaction of digestive issues, malabsorption, and nutrient deficiency.

At the same time, the endotoxins continue to trigger chronic inflammation, one of the most concerning symptoms of a disrupted oral microbiome. It’s far more than just a bit of swelling and redness — chronic inflammation is the root of all disease!

This condition occurs when the body’s healthy response to injury becomes permanently “turned on”. Steady, low-level inflammation places extreme strain on arteries and organs, eventually contributing to conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Long-Term Systemic Effects of Poor Oral Health

The damage caused by poor oral health doesn’t stop at a few pesky cavities. In fact, it doesn’t even stop at missing teeth and gum disease. The true effects of poor oral health impact your entire body.

Gastrointestinal Dysfunction

As the entry point to the digestive system, the condition of your mouth directly influences your gastrointestinal health. This explains why poor oral health is shown to contribute to inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

When an unhealthy oral cavity becomes a reservoir for pathogens, oral bacteria can constantly move into the gut and trigger devastating side effects. Some strains of salivary microbiota are even resistant to multiple antibiotics and shown to elicit intense gut inflammation.

Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. At its core, heart disease develops as a result of ongoing build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries. This condition is known as atherosclerosis.

In the past, eggs, bacon, and butter were the villains of heart disease, but recent research shows us that there’s much more to the story. Periodontal disease triggers the formation of microbial pathogens that are believed to aggravate inflammation and attach to fatty plaques in the bloodstream.

Remember the endotoxins I mentioned before? They also play a role in heart disease. Endotoxins that originate in the oral cavity may be linked to the chronic inflammation and infection that leads to cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes

Recent research has firmly established the two-way link between diabetes and gum disease. Much like the chicken and the egg, it’s hard to determine which one begins first, but there’s no doubt that severe periodontitis can compromise glycemic control and increase the risk of diabetes.

Healthy saliva is rich in minerals and enzymes

Take These Steps to Improve Your Oral Health and Protect Your Internal Systems

There’s no doubt about it — the implications of poor oral health are terrifying. But here’s the good news: you can take a U-turn and transform your oral system link right now.

It isn’t rocket science. In fact, protecting your oral health and optimizing your overall wellness is surprisingly easy when you’re armed with the right tools.

Since it all begins in your mouth, you need to use oral care products that enhance your microbiome instead of trying to suppress it. Traditional toothpaste and mouthwash products act like exterminators; they kill all bacteria, regardless of their type of purpose.

When you start using natural oral care products that nurture healthy bacteria, everything else falls into place. A strong, balanced microbiome supports healthy saliva, remineralized teeth, vibrant gum tissue, and strong immunity against pathogens.

Replace Fluoride Toothpaste with Dirty Mouth Toothpowder

When you brush twice a day with this remineralizing toothpowde r, you’ll take huge steps toward improved oral health with the following benefits:

Polish and clean the teeth
Cleanse gum tissues from toxins and impurities
Remove plaque and prevent tartar
Reduce gum inflammation and risk of infection
Remineralize and strengthen teeth
Balance pH of saliva to strengthen its cleaning power

The main ingredient, bentonite clay, is a mild adhesive that gently scrubs and polishes the teeth. It works like an astringent by helping to remove tartar and clean the gums. As soon as bentonite clay comes in contact with the bad bacteria and toxins in your mouth, it pulls them away and replaces them with minerals like calcium and phosphate.

Enhance Tissue Health With Gum Serum

Have you ever used gum serum? Probably not, since it doesn’t exist on store shelves. Despite the vital importance of gum health to your overall oral wellbeing, the mainstream products on store shelves completely disregard gum care.

The truth is, that optimal oral health cannot exist without happy, healthy gums. So if you want to maximize your oral health, you need our Dirty Mouth Gum Drops. This natural product contains 11 essential oils specifically formulated to clean, nurture, and protect gum tissue.

The toxins and impurities lurking on the surface of your mouth become powerless once this potent combination of tea tree, peppermint, spearmint, lemon, eucalyptus, clove bud, lavender, myrrh, cinnamon, chamomile, and cypress oils take effect.

Apply your gum serum two to three times per day for best results. The healing powers of so many organic essential oils will quickly rejuvenate your gum tissue and eliminate the conditions that cause gum disease to form.

Detox Your Mouth

The best place to start if you have been using toxic commercial toothpaste and mouthwash is to detox your mouth with the Dental Detox Kit.

Fluoride, heavy metals, and toxins stick to your teeth and gums. Our Dental Detox Kit contains everything you need to detox your mouth from these toxic substances.

It takes just a few short weeks to experience a cleaner-tasting mouth, whiter, stronger teeth, and healthier gums.

Choose Smile-Friendly Foods

All the brushing and flossing in the world can’t save you if you’re constantly attacking your teeth and gums with sugar. It’s not just donuts and cake, but all refined and processed foods high in carbs. If you can improve your eating habits, you’ll improve your oral health and your physical health as well!

It’s not an accident that the healthiest foods for your body are also the healthiest for your mouth:

Leafy greens
Carrots and apples
Milk, yogurt, cheese
Nuts and seeds
Lean protein
Water

These options help to balance the pH in your mouth, stimulate more saliva to clear away food debris, and fortify your teeth with calcium and other important nutrients. And honestly, they taste better, too.

Optimize Your Oral Health For Lasting Wellness

Some of the most dangerous and deadly diseases are the ones that sneak up silently. They don’t announce themselves with flashing lights and thunder. Instead, they take years to develop below the surface. You may not even realize your body is under siege at all!

This is exactly how poor oral health diminishes your smile and threatens your internal systems. What starts as a single cavity or slight tooth sensitivity eventually grows into the onslaught of malicious bacteria and failing health.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! You have total control over your oral health. Instead of allowing yourself to be conned by mainstream toothpaste marketing ploys and uninformed dental advice, arm yourself with the natural dental care tools you really need to optimize your oral-systemic link and achieve lasting wellness.

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Resource Links:

https://www.perio.org/newsroom/periodontal-disease-fact-sheet
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29056305
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5960472/
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joim.12476
https://www.agd.org/docs/default-source/self-instruction-(gendent)/gendent_nd17_aafp_kane.pdf
https://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Publications/Files/FTDP_July2013_2.pdf?la=en
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19070683