Your Hormone Health: What You May Never Have Considered

By Flora Stay, DDS

As women, when we think about hormonal health, we usually consider issues related to our monthly menstruation, menopause, sexual health, or weight gain. In reality, hormonal imbalance can affect our total well-being. We especially experience the wrath of this imbalance during pre- and postmenopause and during our menstruation cycle (also known to some as the dreaded PMS).

We’ve all heard about and experienced how our sexuality is affected by our hormone levels, and how it relates to many other physical and emotional factors, but we probably never considered one other important physical factor affecting our sexual mood: gum disease, also known as the silent disease.

This connection is rarely talked about, and might at first seem odd, but it becomes obvious when we learn the science behind how it all works.

Our Mouth Has a Lot to Say About Our Overall Health
During the different stages of our lives when hormones are fluctuating, from puberty to pregnancy and menopause, many tissues are affected, including our gum tissue. The gums can swell up, bleed easily, and become slightly more red during these times of hormone-related events. Often, when the hormones regulate back to normal, the gums don’t always naturally return to their healthy state, but are dependent on our good oral hygiene.

With this state of chronic gum inflammation, our hormones, and even our immune system, can be negatively affected, triggering a cascade of events that lead to compromised overall health.

Important Little Signs Not to be Ignored
Chances are we never think the slight bleeding of our gums during pregnancy or premenopause has anything to do with our hormones. We may have even thought a little bleeding when brushing was perfectly normal and never gave it a second thought. Slight bleeding, red gums, and even some swelling, are all signs of inflammation that accompany gum disease.

Most people don’t pay any attention to the signs of inflammation in the mouth. It’s no wonder a study published in Journal of Periodontology in January of 1999 reported that at least 23 percent of women ages 30 to 54 have severe gum disease (periodontitis), and 44 percent of women ages 55 to 90 who still have their teeth have gum disease. As far as the general public, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reported about 80 percent of adults in the United States currently have some form of the disease.

This is surprising in our modern world, and we may wonder how so many people could have gum disease. Truth be known, many people go to the dentist only “when it hurts.” If you’re one of these individuals, you need a new perspective on oral health, especially if your sex life is not as exciting as it used to be or if you have a hard time managing stress.

Quick Definition
Even the beginning stages of gum disease, known as gingivitis, can make an impact on our mood and health. If not treated, gingivitis advances and results in chronic inflammation with devastating health results. When our gums are not healthy, a series of chemical reactions take place locally and systemically. The chemical changes trigger our immune system to take action, with inflammation resulting locally on the gum tissue.

Inflammation is a basic immune response (defense system) in which the body fights any infection, irritation, or other injury. During this inflammatory attack, immune cells rev each other up and release substances called inflammatory cytokines. These substances boost immunity but also induce dark moods in some people. In fact, if the cytokines stay too high for too long, they may even result in depression.

Chronic inflammation is a breakdown of tissue which puts a burden on the immune system as it fights to promote health. If this tissue breakdown continues and advances, our body’s immune system becomes more challenged and unable to fight other illness and effectively manage stress. What’s more, chronic inflammation affects our mood, leaving us feeling tired and burned out.

Unfortunately, gum disease is known as the silent disease because we may not even know we have it, except for a sign of slight bleeding when flossing or brushing. The unsuspecting person may not be aware that there is tissue breakdown until it’s too late and the teeth are loose. Other common signs include bad breath that isn’t due to the garlic or onion you just ate, but is offensive most of the time.

Gateway to Health
So what can a person do to help the situation? The solution is really simple. Always consider the health of your mouth as an important component of overall health. Play the part of Sherlock Holmes and consumer health advocate Ralph Nader combined in being proactive and talking to your physician about oral health. You’ll have to take responsibility and learn more about this connection. Only recently have many studies began reporting the connection of oral health to other illnesses, including pancreatic cancer (according to a Harvard Medical School study), heart disease, problem pregnancies, stroke, and respiratory disorders.

When your immune system is healthy, it becomes easier to handle stress and your mood and your hormones stay in balance. If you’re feeling run down, unable to handle stress, and have lost interest in sex, make a visit to your dentist. Many people may have suffered for years with mood changes and ill health while being treated only with drugs, when the problem may in fact be in their mouths. Drugs alone may not help if chronic inflammation from your gums is not treated.

There really is no excuse not to get regular dental check-ups or to practice good home oral hygiene. In my book, “Secret Gateway to Health,” I explain how to find a dentist and where to go for inexpensive dental care. I recommend products and offer suggestions for overcoming dental fears along with different treatment options.

Now, armed with this information, go, find your soul mate dentist, and have your mouth checked—you just may end up with a better, more fabulous love life!

Dr. Flora Stay is the author of Secret Gateway to Health and has been in private practice for more than 30 years and is an assistant associate professor at the USC School of Dentistry. To receive a free e-book from Dr. Stay, visit http://www.cleure.com.