Heart Attacks, Periodontal Disease Linked in a New Study

There have been numerous studies conducted into the link between heart attacks and severe periodontal disease, and a new study has also connected these two serious health conditions. This study was conducted by researchers from the University of Granada who analyzed data from 112 patients who had been unfortunate enough to have an acute heart attack. The researchers found the severity of these patients gum disease or periodontal disease was likely to have had an impact on the severity of the heart attack. The team involved with this research now wants to do further studies in this area, including checks on patients who have suffered heart attacks and who also have periodontal disease.

How Are Heart Attacks and Periodontal Disease Linked?

In spite of the research conducted in two these two diseases, experts are still unsure of how they are connected and many feel it isn’t exactly clear whether gum disease has a direct effect on heart disease. What is known is that people with poor oral health are likely to have more heart attacks but this doesn’t necessarily mean that their poor oral health is causing the heart attacks. It might simply be a case that people with good oral hygiene tend to take better care of their health, for example they may be more likely to exercise regularly and to eat properly.

However there are a few good reasons as to why dental health and heart health may be linked because both are inflammatory diseases. Atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is an inflammatory process while gum disease also causes the gum tissue to become inflamed as bacteria in the mouth increase. As long as the exact link isn’t quite known, it’s perhaps a bit too easy to dismiss this connection between these diseases. But why take the risk?

Why Risk Periodontal Disease Affecting Your Heart Health?

When you have severe periodontal disease your gums are likely to frequently bleed, enabling the bacteria in your mouth which have caused the inflammation to enter your body. Even if the connection between heart disease and periodontal disease is yet to be fully understood, why risk your health? It is very easy to ignore bleeding gums, but seeking treatment sooner rather than later could protect your gums, teeth and protect your heart.

Getting Treatment for Periodontal Disease

If you suspect you have periodontal disease then you can always make an appointment for a checkup with Dr. Navid Rahmani at Manhattan Periodontics & Implant Surgery in Midtown Manhattan. Dr. Rahmani specializes in treating gum disease and can help restore your gums to health, protecting you against tooth loss and potentially improving your general health.

Treatment is far more straightforward when this disease is caught early, but even if it is well advanced there are still plenty of things that can be done to help eliminate the bacterial infection in your gums, to hopefully stabilize and save your teeth and even to restore or replace lost gum tissue and bone. Often the use of laser periodontics can help eliminate bacteria and is a very gentle, comfortable and safe way to treat badly infected gums.

 

In: General Periodontal Topics | Gum Disease

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