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Written By: Admin | Updated : May 21, 2014 6:11 PM IST
When you look in the mirror you may just see your gums bleeding, but your dentist may see risks of heart disease! Studies have shown that people with gum disease have a higher risk for heart disease.
What's the link?
Untreated gum disease provides a reservoir of bacteria. One potential link between gum disease and heart disease is that sometimes, bacteria from your infected gums can travel to your bloodstream, setting off an inflammatory reaction elsewhere in your body, including the arteries. The bacteria may also dislodge, enter the blood, attach to blood vessels and increase clot formation. This can cause hardening of the arteries and decrease the blood flow to the heart thereby causing a heart attack.
High blood pressure affects blood vessels all over the body even the ones present in your gums. The resistance to the flow of blood increases which hampers the blood flow to the gums. This causes decreased oxygen and nutrition thereby affecting the health and healing capacity of your gums.
Healthy gums give you a healthy heart
In most cases, gum disease can be reversed by practising good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth at least twice a day andfloss once or twice a day.Use antiplaque toothpastes or mouth rinses to reduce gum disease causing bacteria. Do not forget to visit your dentist once in six months. To eliminate bacterial reservoirs in dental plaque, your dentist may perform scaling and root planing. He/she will also check for conditions in the mouth that may put you at risk of gum disease and treat you accordingly.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
The post Gum disease could be bad news for your heart. appeared first on Colgate Total Blog.
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