The health of a woman’s mouth and gums has an impact on her overall health and self-esteem.
Hormonal fluctuations throughout a woman’s life, including puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, can affect many tissues, including gum tissue.
Throughout her life cycle, women should be aware of these hormonal and oral/overall health connections.
Gum Disease & Puberty
During puberty, an increased level of sex hormones, such as progesterone and possibly estrogen, causes increased blood circulation to the gums. This may cause an increase in the gum’s sensitivity and lead to a greater reaction to any irritation, including food particles and plaque. During this time, the gums may become swollen, turn red and feel tender.
Menstruation: It is not uncommon for gums to swell and bleed prior to menstruation. Some women may also suffer from the formation of canker sores. These symptoms typically disappear once their period arrives.
Oral birth control: Inflamed gums are a common side effect of taking the pill.
Pregnancy: There is a link between uncontrolled gum disease (and the mom may not even know she has gum disease) and pregnancy complications such as premature labor and preeclampsia (rise in blood pressure).
Menopause: Typical mouth changes that occur during menopause are red or inflamed gums, oral pain and discomfort, burning sensations, dry mouth and altered taste, especially salty, peppery or sour.
Gum Disease Statistics
80% of people have Gum Disease and DO NOT KNOW IT! There is usually no pain involved for people until extremely late in the degeneration. Most gum problems will go unnoticed until they are diagnosed by a dentist.
The good news is that Dr. Korenman and his team are dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of gum disease and they check all their patients for it.
If you are diagnosed with gum disease, Dr. Korenman will design a treatment plan to help you get it under control and even more importantly, to keep it maintained in a healthy state.
We urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment at 972-231-0585.