{"id":100,"date":"2019-05-20T17:52:05","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T17:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/?p=100"},"modified":"2019-05-20T17:52:05","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T17:52:05","slug":"could-gum-disease-increase-your-risk-for-heart-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/could-gum-disease-increase-your-risk-for-heart-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Gum Disease Increase Your Risk for Heart Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Woman<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chances are, you or someone you love suffers from gum\ndisease, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affects\nnearly half of adults who are thirty or older. \nAnd while the effects on your oral health are obvious, did you know that\npoor gum health may have an effect on your overall health?  Researchers have been studying the link between\ngum disease and heart disease, and while one has not been proven to cause the\nother, the connection between the two has been shown to be very <\/em>strong.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is Gum Disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gum disease<\/a> (also\nknown as periodontal disease) is inflammation of the gums, usually due to\nbacteria.  Its most common form,\ngingivitis, is often caused by poor dental hygiene and is characterized by red,\nswollen, easily bleeding gums. \nGingivitis can become periodontitis, which can eventually lead to tooth\nloss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Link Between Gum Disease and Heart Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Harvard Health\nPublishing<\/em>, people with gum disease are two or three times more likely to\nsuffer from a heart-related condition such as a heart attack or a stroke.  Additionally, the American Dental Association\nand the American Heart Association have acknowledged research showing a link\nbetween gum disease and heart disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A possible reason for this is the inflammation of the\ngums.  Inflammation can lead to hardened\narteries (also known as atherosclerosis), which makes it harder for blood to\nflow to the heart.  The bacteria causing\nthe inflammation may have other effects as well; one theory is that bacteria\nand other toxins can get into the bloodstream and cause inflammation in blood\nvessels throughout the body, including the heart.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifestyle may also be a factor.  People with poor oral health habits may also\nhave other habits that can contribute to heart disease.  This can include smoking, poor eating habits,\nor not getting enough exercise.  It has\nalso been shown that people with diabetes, which can increase the risk of gum\ndisease, may also have a higher risk of heart disease.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Good Oral Health Help Prevent Heart Disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While dentists and doctors have seen a strong connection\nbetween gum disease and heart disease, it has not been proven that taking care\nof your gums can prevent heart disease. \nThat said, it\u2019s important to make sure your teeth and gums are well\ncared for; good oral health does tie in to good overall health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Jensen has been the owner of the practice Renu Dental in Crookston, Minnesota, since 2008.\u00a0 She puts a great deal of emphasis on patient comfort and believes in improving patient health through state-of-the-art technology.\u00a0 She treats patients for a wide variety of oral conditions, including periodontal disease.\u00a0 If you\u2019re concerned with your oral health, schedule an appointment with Renu Dental on their website<\/a> or at (218) 281-1301. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chances are, you or someone you love suffers from gum disease, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affects nearly half of adults who are thirty or older.  And while the effects on your oral health are obvious, did you know that poor gum health may have an effect on your overall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102,"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions\/102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.renudentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}