Many people with asthma said to be prone to tooth, mouth, and gum infections. What caused it? Check out the full explanation from the doctor through the following description.
Asthma is a disease which is causes sufferers to experience shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, coughing, and wheezing. Asthma often causes complications such as stress and difficult to sleep at night.
Not only that, asthmatics can also experience gum infections. To find out the cause of gum infection in asthmatics, consider the following reviews.
Cause-and-effect relationship between asthma and gum infection
There are two factors that can cause asthmatics to develop gum infections, as follows:
1. Dry Mouth
Several dentists have explained that one of the factors that causes asthmatics to experience gum infections is dry mouth.
People with asthma are often experience shortness of breath and it makes breathing in and out repeatedly and quickly, this is happen for a long time, even for a lifetime.
Inhaling and exhaling in this way can cause a decrease in saliva production. In addition, breathing through the mouth also makes the mouth dry.
When there is not enough saliva to protect and clean the teeth, the mouth becomes more susceptible to bacteria that cause decay.
These bacteria can cause cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease.
In addition, according to some dentists, there are some asthma medications that trigger dry mouth, thereby reducing saliva production. As a result, the risk of plaque buildup and it make the dental caries can occur.
"If the plaque is not cleaned immediately, it will harden and become tartar which causes gingivitis and triggers advanced gum disease," the dentists said.
2. Inhaler
Inhaler is a type of corticosteroid medication that used to control asthma attacks. One of the side effects of using inhalers is suppressing the function of saliva.
So, asthma can indeed trigger gum disease due to the use of inhaled drugs that cause the gum defenses to decrease.
In addition, when an asthmatic inhales an inhaler, some of the ingredients may remain in the mouth. It can stick to sensitive oral tissues.
So, How to Avoid Gum Infections in Asthma Patients?
So, that dental and oral health problems can be prevented, dentists recommend that brush your teeth regularly twice a day.
Use toothpaste that contains fluoride and don't forget to clean between your teeth (flossing).
Then, increase the consumption of water, go to clinic and do regular check-ups with dentist at least every 6 months.
If the dry mouth condition does not improve despite regular brushing and flossing, immediately consult a clinic that handles asthma and provides dental health services.
If not treated immediately, dry mouth can lead to gingivitis, it can make irritates your gums and damages your bones and teeth.
That's an explanation of asthma and the risk of gum disease. If you have other questions about asthma or dental and oral health, please read other articles on this blog. Thank you..