Gum Disease and Heart Disease at Ardas Family Dental

Dental care from an early age is essential for health throughout life. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado, we accept Medicaid and treat patients of all ages. Part of the reason for this is that poor oral hygiene not only puts people in pain, but also increases their risk for other diseases. Recently, scientists have been examining the correlation between gum disease and heart conditions, and we thought it would be good for our patients to understand the possible links.

Childhood dental habits influence children’s adult oral health, with children who have cavities being likelier to lose permanent teeth. A recent study also found that children with dental infections are likelier to develop thickened blood vessels. Another recent study found that people with gum disease are likelier to have high blood pressure, and a third found that people who lost teeth to gum infections are likelier to have angina, strokes, and heart attacks.

It’s too soon to say that gum disease and heart disease directly cause each other, and they share common risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol. But we are learning more about how oral bacteria are able to travel to other parts of the body and trigger inflammation. We also know that infections of tooth root tips and dental pulp can lead to blood poisoning. During regular cleanings, we provide scaling to remove bacterial build-up below the gum line. We can also do scalings on people with outbreaks of gum inflammation, and if we are able to intervene quickly enough, we may be able to save their teeth and implants. 

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.