We all love to indulge over the holiday season, and why not? It’s the one time of year we can have multiple Thanksgiving feasts, office parties, and all the yuletide has to offer. But did you know that packing on that extra holiday weight can actually affect your teeth. I’m not talking about just cavities but obesity, specifically, can increase your risk for developing periodontal disease, where the bone and gums around your teeth are eroded and loss of teeth can occur.
In periodontal disease, our gums become infected by bacteria and our body tries to fight the bacteria by increasing blood flow to the area and a state of inflammation occurs in our gums and bone. Adipose tissue, or fat, produces cytokines, which can lead to a hyperinflamed state. Studies have found (Gorman et al, 2012), that overall obesity is associated with an increased hazard of periodontal disease progression in men.
This chronic inflammation causes increased destruction of bone and gums around teeth and can accelerate the disease process and loss of teeth faster. Due to obesity being a true Risk Factor for periodontal disease, it is important that if you have trouble controlling your weight, or have put on a few pounds recently, that you consult with your Kansas City Periodontist so they can evaluate the health of your teeth and gums!
