dental
& vision

DENTAL & VISION

Often time we tend to overlook the importance of dental and eye health when thinking about health insurance. We forget that these are just as essential as the rest of our bodies. We use our mouths to speak with others, eat and drink. Likewise, we use our eyes for practically everything we do.

Many people are not aware that a number of conditions are detected in the early stages because of a simple eye exam. These conditions include diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. The same can be said with oral exams, with more than 90% of all common diseases, having some oral symptoms. Just by keeping your oral health in check, you can avoid and better manage serious health issues.

Importance of Oral Health

Instances where oral health helped to better manage serious health related issues:

Diabetes – Periodontal infections contribute to problems with glycemic control, which compromises the health of diabetic patients.

Heart disease – The inflammation associated with periodontal disease has a high potential to contribute to coronary artery disease. Good oral health can lower that risk.

Pregnancy – Studies have indicated that mothers with high levels of certain oral bacteria were found to have children with similarly high levels of bacteria, along with a higher risk of tooth decay.

Self-esteem – Research shows that healthy teeth and gums are important to a person’s self-esteem and how they feel about themselves.

Importance of Vision Health

Even if you have 20/20 vision, taking care of your eyes is just as important as taking care of your overall health. With most of us experiencing eyestrain due to spending two or more hours a day on our tablets, computers or phones, it is important to ensure our eye health is being looked after. Regardless of your age, an annual eye exam is imperative to test for color blindness, eye sharpness, vision and more. Again, the key is to catch the early detection of serious conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, and eye disease.

Citation
1 “Periodontics and Oral-Systemic Relationship. “Journal of the California Dental Association, January 2016, volume 44, number 1; pages 29-33.
2 “Systemic manifestations of oral diseases,” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3329699/
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