A Dentist Explains Gum Disease & Heart Disease Connection

When you skip brushing your teeth at night or flossing, does the thought of having  a heart attack ever cross your mind? Probably not. However, when you let your oral health decline, you could be making yourself susceptible to developing gum disease which has series consequences. These unhealthy side effects could cause you to suffer from heart disease and even strokes!

Learn more about why it’s so important to ward off gum disease in this week’s blog post! Continue reading to learn more.

How can you develop gum disease?

Many patients don’t give their gums enough credit for what they do for their smile. Healthy, firm, pink gums help to keep your teeth in place and provide a stable foundation for your whole smile. If people knew how important they were, they might take better care of their gum health.

Gum disease can be caused by many things, but the biggest culprit is from declining oral health. When you don’t care for your teeth adequately at home, you could leave plaque to harden to tartar on your teeth and along the gum line.

This causes a strong inflamed reaction to the gums, one of many symptoms of gum disease. This is the correlating factor between gum disease and heart disease, but the other symptoms are among these:

• Red, swollen gums
• Sensitivity in the mouth
• A bad taste in the mouth
• Chronic bad breath
• Bleeding gums
• Gum recession

How can gum disease lead to heart disease?

As mentioned above, the link between gum disease and heart disease is the inflammation of the gums that eventually leads to gum recession. Gum recession causes holes within the smile, allowing foreign substances, plaque, and bad dental bacteria into the body through the bloodstream.

Unfortunately, when this happens, these materials can start to plug the arties within your body, leading to a heart attack. The same can happen to the brain when bad bacteria travels through the bloodstream upwards to your heard. Some patients can experience a stroke from having gum disease and declining oral health.

How can a dentist help?

If you notice that you have any sensitivity or any symptoms of gum disease, you should contact your dentist as soon as possible. Your dentist has the tools and resources to help you nurture and repair your smile, including declining gum health.

If you have periodontal disease (advanced gum disease), then your dentist will perform periodontal therapy, or deep cleanings frequently so that you can grow healthier gums. This therapy is consisted of scaling and root planing, or the meticulous removal of tartar and plaque from along and below the gum line.

Its better to start now than later! Contact your local dentist for help today.

About Our Office

Here at STEC Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we know how important it is to have a healthy smile that consists both of strong teeth and healthy gums. If you ever feel like either components are declining in health, our team is here to help you recover your smile! Learn more by contacting our local dentist.