L ACKMEDSOC.ORG * LUZERNEMEDSOC.ORG Feature THE DENTAL CONNECTION T he only constant in life is CHANGE; Greek philosophy and life experience confirms this idea. Throughout our lives there are many things that change; lifestyle, environment, our physical bodies and microbiome. With continuing evolution of knowledge, we are learning more and more about how all the body systems are interconnected, and we have discovered that an unhealthy mouth can have a profound effect on overall health. A disruption in normal healthy oral bacterial load not only leads to periodontal disease and caries, but also compromises the balance of our digestive tract micro-flora. Correspondingly, maintaining N E PA a healthy oral environment is correlated with positive effects on cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. Along that logic line, when teeth are in best alignment it is easier to clean them and reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria; this reduction may be a supportive step to improving health. How do we "straighten things out" in the oral cavity? A good start to changing the oral environment is through orthodontics. Throw away all the stigma of tight and uncomfortable bulky appliances and replace that thinking with the idea of light and 6 VITAL SIGNShttp://www.lackmedsoc.org http://www.LUZERNEMEDSOC.ORG