How Dental Health and Heart Disease are Related?

Did you know that February is American Heart Month?

There are a lot of things you can do to participate including joining a heart health walk, learning the symptoms of a heart attack (for men and women), or scheduling a check-up with your doctor.

 How Does Dental Health Affect Heart Health?

Oral health and heart disease are linked together by bacteria and germs. There are many studies that show that people with periodontal disease (gum disease) have an increased risk of:

• stroke
• coronary artery disease
• myocardial infarction (heart attack)

But why would the bacteria in the mouth make a difference? Medical researchers believe that the bacteria in the mouth can move through damaged gums into the bloodstream.

Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria attach themselves to damaged areas in the heart and cause inflammation. This inflammation can result in illnesses like endocarditis and atherosclerosis.

What Can I Do To Improve My Dental Health?

With dental health related to heart health, maintaining dental health would improve heart health. As you abide by the following steps, you’ll reduce the chance of decay, inflammation, and infection.

The best dental care includes :

• Check ups with your dentist every six months
• Twice minimum teeth brushing
• Flossing regularly
• Maintaining a good fit for dentures

Take proactive measures to improve dental health and heart disease prevention will come along with it.

What Can A Dentist Do To Help?

On top of your own daily preventative measures, you may need a dentist to intervene. Your dentist can help catch gum disease in its earliest stages and prevent it from worsening.

To do this your dentist can use both surgical and non-surgical treatments. Non-surgical treatments include:

• Scaling to remove bacteria and tartar
• Root planing to smooth the surfaces and prevent further build up
• Antibiotics to control bacterial infections

Surgical treatments for more advanced gum disease include:

• Flap surgery to more effectively clean and recontour roots
• Soft tissue grafts to fix receding gumline
• Bone grafting to prevent tooth loss

Everything your dentist might do ultimately works towards the goal of improving dental health and thereby improving heart health.

Commit to Great Dental Care

Now that you understand how dental health and heart disease are connected, you can celebrate American Heart Month with some hearty brushing and a recommitment to keeping your mouth clean.

At any point of your dental health journey, the team at Cleveland Smile Center are ready to assist you. They offer full service dentistry to the Northeast Cleveland area.

With four locations and accessible hours, whatever your dental concerns, we can help! Contact us today to learn more about our dental services or to schedule an appointment.