There are several research news items this week that provide further evidence that good care of teeth and gums is important for your overall health. Cleaning our teeth and flossing
Whenever I take my dog to the vet, I see several posters about how keeping your pet’s teeth clean and stopping gum disease are important for maintaining the overall health of the pet. Somehow the message has got through for pets but not for humans.
Recently there has been a greater appreciation of the fact that atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) diabetes and other chronic diseases have a strong inflammatory component. Long term constant inflammation is bad for us. It increases our risk of having health problems.
If you have gum disease periodontis, the gums are swollen and inflamed. This long term constant inflammation will have negative consequences for health.
The number of people who have periodontis (inflammation of the gum) is astonishingly high. It is estimated that 30-50 % of US adults have some form. Of course, for many it is quite mild, with gum problems progressing slowly. However, it is estimated that 1 in 10 adults have severe periodontis.
Several studies have all found the same result. Those with periodontis have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The increased risk includes atherosclerosis, heart attack, heart failure, stroke and high blood pressure.
In fact, there has been a suggestion that those with moderate to severe periodontis should be evaluated for cardiovascular disease and if necessary given treatments to reduce their risk.
For both good dental and heart health it is important to both clean our teeth and floss regularly. Floss for a healthy heart.
photo credit: Bee Skutch
[tags]gum disease, periodontis, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, floss[/tags]
