Your Mouth Has a Lot to Say About Your Sex Drive
by Flora Stay, DDS
 Have you read every magazine article on improving your sex life, tried every trick suggested to you to feel romantic and still you’re not getting remotely interested? If so, then read on, because you may be missing one fact that most people don’t ever consider towards improving their love life.
Women’s sexuality has to do with a lot of factors including physical as well as emotional issues. Among the physical influences, hormonal imbalance plays a major role. We specially experience the wrath of this imbalance during pre and post menopause and during our menstruation cycle, also known to some as the dreaded PMS. But you probably never considered one other important physical factor affecting your sexual mood, which surprisingly is gum disease, also known as the silent disease. This connection is rarely talked about and might at first seem an odd one, but it becomes obvious when you learn the science behind how it all works.
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 change slightly redder during these times of hormone related events. Often, once the hormone balances, the gums won’t necessarily go back to their healthy state automatically. If you practice good home oral hygiene, your gums will go back to normal,if not it will get worse.
Chances are you never thought the slight bleeding of your gums during your pregnancy or pre-menopause had anything to do with your hormones. You 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 when it occurs 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, about 80 percent of U.S. adults currently have some form of the disease. This is surprising in our day and you may wonder how could so many people have gum disease. But 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 use to be.
Even the beginning stages of gum disease known as gingivitis, can make an impact on your mood and health. If not treated, gingivitis advances and results in chronic inflammation with devastating results on your health. When your gums are not healthy, a cascade of events with chemicals takes place locally and systemically. The chemical changes trigger your 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 trigger moods that trigger 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, your body’s immune system becomes more challenged and unable to fight other illness. Not only that, but chronic inflammation affects your mood, leaving you feeling tired and burned out.
Unfortunately, gum disease is known as the silent disease because you may not even know you have it, except for a sign of slight bleeding when flossing or brushing. The unsuspecting person may not be aware 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 some garlic or onion you just ate, but is offensive most of the time.
So what can you do to help the situation? The solution is really simple. Always consider the health of your mouth as an important component of overall health, when seeking treatment. You’ll almost have to be part Sherlock Holmes and part consumer health advocate like Ralph Nader. I say this, because more often than not, your physician may not ask you or consider such things as oral health. It’s only been in recent years that many studies are reporting the connection of oral health to other illness including pancreatic cancer (Harvard Medical School), heart disease, problem pregnancies, stroke and respiratory disorders.
When you feel healthy, your sex drive is also healthy. If you’re feeling run down with no interest in sex, make a visit to your dentist. Many people may have suffered for years with mood changes and ill health while treated only with drugs, with the mouth never considered as part of the whole picture. The drugs alone may not help you if chronic inflammation from your gums is not treated.
If you feel run down and constantly tired, have your gums checked. There really is no excuse not to get regular dental check-ups or to practice good home oral hygiene. In my book, The Secret Gateway to Health, I even explain how to find a dentist, where to go for inexpensive dental care, recommend products and how to get over dental fear along with different treatment options.
Now that you know, find your soul mate dentist, have your mouth checked and enjoy a fabulous love life.
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