How proper gum and teeth care work together to help prevent heart attack, and what a strong connection heart disease and gum disease have, has been shown by several studies.
Gum and heart disease – an overview
The main cause of gum or periodontal disease is a substance called plaque that is made up of bacteria and food remains. This plaque covers the teeth, and causes gum bleeding and irritation if not removed in a timely manner. Pockets surrounding a tooth will start to develop, and the gums will become inflamed if this plaque is allowed to continue building up.
Calculus (tartar), a hard deposit which normally can not be removed by regular tooth brushing, is accumulated in these pockets over a period of time. The occurrence of gum infection can eventually progress into chronic gum disease, which causes the teeth to start falling out, and also affects the jawbone if tartar is allowed to worsen.
A serious condition called atherosclerosis, a heart disease, is caused by plaque that is materialistically different than dental plaque. It is composed of a build up of fatty tissue deposits in the artery walls, making it difficult for the blood to flow properly, since its passageway has been narrowed significantly by the condition of atherosclerosis.
When a person’s arteries are blocked, preventing the blood’s passage to the brain and heart, strokes and heart attacks are the result. So all of this begs the question…what are the factors in common between heart disease and gum diseases?
Higher levels of white blood cells, and carotid arteries that are significantly thicker, are common in people who are at a greater risk of heart disease, according to the discovery of researchers. It just so happens that these same two conditions are prevalent in people that have gum disease, due to high levels of bacterial caused plaque.
Therefore, a person with gum diseases is a more likely candidate for the development of heart disease, so how are the two related?
Atherosclerosis, which is the narrowing of the arteries leading to stokes and heart attacks, is directly linked to gum disease. Bacterially caused gums diseases and infections speed up the arterial blockage process, according to some studies.
Blood clotting and inflammation in the walls of the arteries have, as a contributing factor, the relation of the bacteria in gum infections penetrating the blood stream, according to different research studies.
Some have theorized that once this bacteria has found its way into a person’s blood, it bonds with the plaque of fatty substances which already existed, to cause even more artery constriction.
Heart and gum diseases also share some similar causal triggers, such as poor dietary nutrition and smoking.
If you are someone who is experiencing gum disease symptoms, you should certainly consult a dental specialist in the treatment of periodontal (gum) diseases. In order to manage the associated risk of heart diseases and gum diseases, regular dental hygiene maintenance and checkups are vital.