It started out as an unconventional theory. But now, more and more scientists, physicians and dentists are seeing the connection between gum disease and potentially fatal heart attacks.
What would a problem with your gums have in common with an ailing heart? Researchers began by looking at heart attack patients and deciding what physical symptoms contributed to the attack in the first place. Their conclusions: inflammation, and infection. Then they set out to identify what might cause such inflammation and infection.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and obesity have long been recognized as obvious culprits. But various research studies have reported data that links the presence of gum disease to the kind of inflammation connected with heart disease.
As dental professionals, quite naturally we care about your teeth and gums. But we’re concerned with the rest of you as well! If you’re interested in learning more about the increasingly clear link between perio and heart attack, ask us about it at your next appointment. We’ll be happy to provide details—and maybe even a solution.
Sudden Fatal Heart Attack Warning Signals
It’s a frightening thought that adults sometimes die of sudden, unexpected heart attacks with no apparent previous symptoms. But there are risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) that ought not be ignored. They include:
- Inactivity
- Obesity
- Family history of CAD
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- And now we know—Gum disease
