Heart Health and Your Teeth

February is American Heart Month, which is a very important month to recognize. According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.

However – the good news is that making positive, impactful decisions involving your day-to-day health can prevent heart disease. Additionally, it’s important to know about the potential link between gum disease and heart disease.

Many health experts attest that healthy gums have various ramifications on a healthy heart, and vice-versa, most notably in the similarities between the bacteria and inflammation patterns associated with both conditions.

According to the American Heart Association, both conditions often host the same catalysts: “Periodontitis and heart disease share risk factors such as smoking, age and diabetes, and both contribute to inflammation in the body. Although these shared risk factors may explain why diseases of the blood vessels and mouth can occur simultaneously, some evidence suggests that there may be an independent association between the two diseases.”

Some of the latest research finds that gum disease has a direct link to higher risk of inflammation around the heart, which increases the risk of heart attack. It’s important to note that it’s still somewhat that research is ongoing and it does not mean everyone with gum disease will develop heart disease. However, “’The mouth can be a good warning signpost,’ said Ann Bolger, M.D., William Watt Kerr Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. ‘People with periodontitis often have risk factors that not only put their mouth at risk, but their heart and blood vessels, too.’”

Interesting food for thought – just make sure that the food you eat this month is good for your gums, as well as your heart.