Relation between your mouth and heart
Relation between your mouth and heart
Take care of your gums and your heart will be healthy. Does it make any sense to you? Well even if it doesn’t then I must tell you that there is some connection between gums and heart disease. This topic has always been debated upon but still there hasn’t been any concrete result to show whether there is any actual connection between the two.
However certain experts do say that there is substantial amount of logic that relates both the conditions. For example inflammation is a common problem in both the diseases. When you suffer from inflammation your arteries get narrowed; fatty plaque (unlike dental plaque) is also a part of the inflammatory process. The initial stage of Periodontal Disease i.e Gingivitis also happens when gums get inflamed and are attacked by bacteria.
What does the experts Say
Experts however feel that there is no concrete way or science that proves the co-relation between Heart Disease and Gum Problems. On the other hand they do agree to two things:
- The bacteria which results in heart disease and gum problems are the same. What they mean is that the bacteria which is found in gum disease is the same that found in heart disease.
- As mentioned before inflammation is also common. They also believe that the bacteria that are involved in causing the Periodontal Disease may also move in the bloodstream and result in an elevation in C-Reactive Protein which is the main cause of inflammation.
What does the study reveals?
There has been numerous studies carried out to study the relation between the two and it has revealed that people who suffer from moderate or even serious Periodontal Disease are more prone to heart disease. The study has also proved that our Oral Health holds an indication towards the overall health. We have time and again discussed this as well that a healthy mouth is a doorway to healthy body and an unhealthy mouth is a doorway to a lot of bacteria which affects our body adversely.
Your responsibility while undergoing Dental Treatment
In case you are suffering from Heart Disease and you are undergoing a dental treatment you need to make sure of three important things:
- Speak to your dentist about your heart condition. Tell him about the medicine that you are taking. Doing so will help your dentist understand the treatment procedure which will also include prescribing any medicines.
- Tell the name and contact details of your heart specialist to your dentist so that he/she can contact them in case anything needs to be discussed related to your health.
- In case you feel anxiety or if you are uncomfortable while undergoing dental treatment because you think that it might have an adverse affect on your heart disease then tell it to your dentist.
There was a study carried out on April 12th, 2010 by Cesar de Oliveira, research fellow in epidemiology and public health, Richard Watt, professor and honorary consultant in dental public health and Mark Hamer, senior research fellow in epidemiology and public health which had this to reveal
Conclusion
So the theory behind the relation between the two still stays in debate but whether there is any relation between the two or not we need to make sure that we follow proper dental hygiene to keep our mouth healthy. This is the most important factor for our overall health. Brushing twice in a day and flossing your teeth once and then visiting your dentist at least every three months will help ensure that your mouth is healthy. So what steps do you guys take do let me know in the comments below.
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