Gum disease has long been linked to heart disease. New research suggests that for people with both conditions, treating the gum disease may lower their health care costs and the number of times they end up in the hospital, according to the November 2014 Harvard Heart Letter.
What is Gum Disease?
Gum disease begins when the sticky, bacteria-laden film known as plague builds up around your teeth.
Daily tooth brushing and flossing in conjunction with annual cleanings by a dentist or hygienist can prevent or reverse the effects of gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease.
If left untreated, gingivitis can turn into gum disease.
With gum disease, the gums pull back from the root of the tooth, creating a tiny pocket that gradually widens leaving your gums exposed to bacteria. The infection and inflammation will eventually attack the tissue that holds to the jawbone, which can cause the tooth to loosen and even fall out.
How Does This Affect Heart Health?
Individuals who have had a history of gum disease are twice as likely to develop heart disease than those without it. However, the reasoning behind the correlation between the two is not completely clear. One possible explanation, is that those without access to good dental care may also lack the resources to keep their heart healthy.
Some research has identified a common thread between the two conditions – inflammation, the body’s natural response to infection or injury. If you have gum disease, chewing and tooth brushing can release bacteria into your bloodstream causing further complications.
According to the Harvard Medical Journal, several species of bacteria that cause gum disease have been found in the cholesterol-laden plaque that clogs arteries in people with heart disease.
How Could This Impact My Life?
A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reviewed the medical and dental records of people who had gum disease in addition to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular disease (usually a stroke), or another chronic health problem.
People who had at least one periodontal disease treatment had lower medical costs and fewer hospitalizations within four years of the treatment compared with people who weren’t treated.
For cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, health care costs were between 10 percent to 40 percent lower.
Treating gum disease reduces the body’s burden of infection and inflammation, which seems to help people respond better to treatments for other health conditions, like heart disease, according to periodontist Dr. Alpdogan Kantarci of the Harvard-affiliated Forsyth Institute, a nonprofit research organization focused on oral health.
“As we’re always telling our physician colleagues, ‘Make sure your patients are getting regular dental care,’ because we may be able to improve their overall health,” said Dr. Kantarci.
Therefore, dental hygiene could not only impact your dental health, but your overall health. In regards to insurance, this could not only impact your ability to receive dental insurance, but also health insurance.
Starting good dental hygiene habits at a young age is important. Get started by reading our article on The Top Top Five Children’s Dental Myths.
