{"id":221,"date":"2019-02-15T19:59:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T19:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/?p=221"},"modified":"2019-03-14T19:59:08","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T19:59:08","slug":"does-gum-disease-roswell-increase-risk-heart-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/does-gum-disease-roswell-increase-risk-heart-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Gum Disease in Roswell Increase My Risk of Heart Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"heart<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Did you know that nearly half of American adults over the\nage of 30 have an advanced form of gum disease? Yes, it\u2019s very common, but that\ndoesn\u2019t mean that you shouldn\u2019t worry about it. And don\u2019t be fooled by the name\u2014gum disease<\/a>\nin Roswell can affect more than just your mouth. It can also impact your overall\nhealth, specifically your heart. Keep reading to learn more about how gum\ndisease and heart disease can be related.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is gum disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Also called periodontal disease, gum disease is a chronic\ninflammatory condition in the gums. Caused by the bacteria in plaque, the white,\nsticky substance in your mouth, gum disease starts out small. These bacteria\nproduce toxins that irritate the gums, causing them to become red and swollen.\nOver time, the toxins make the gums separate from the teeth, creating pockets\nwhere more plaque can accumulate. Then the infection spreads to the jaw bone\nand tissue, where it can cause permanent damage and weaken the support\nnecessary to hold teeth in place. Ultimately, gum disease can lead to tooth\nloss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is heart disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heart disease is a term used for many conditions that affect\nyour heart. Cardiovascular disease refers to conditions that involve blood vessels\nbecoming blocked or narrowed, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. About\n735,000 heart attacks occur every year, and in the United States, heart disease\nis the leading cause of death in both women and men, causing one in every four\ndeaths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the connection between gum disease and heart disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although proving causation is difficult, research has shown\na strong association between gum disease and heart disease. In fact, studies\nhave found that patients who have both gum and heart disease have significantly\nhigher cardiovascular care costs than those with heart disease alone. Other\nstudies say that gum disease increases your risk of heart disease by 20\npercent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how does a disease that starts in the mouth impact your\nheart? Well, gum disease causes inflammation. Your gums can bleed easily when\ninfected with gum disease, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream and circulate\nto other areas of your body. These bacteria could aggravate and contribute to\ninflammation in the arteries or other important blood vessels, making blood\nflow more difficult and making a heart attack or stroke more likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could taking care of your gums help your heart?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More research is needed to determine whether preventing gum\ndisease could help in preventing heart disease, but it certainly doesn\u2019t hurt!\nSo make sure you brush and floss daily and visit the dentist for regular\ncheckups and cleanings. Your heart may just thank you down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, gum disease is a serious condition that can\nimpact your overall health in significant ways. It is worth taking the time and\neffort to address and prevent in order to have a healthy mouth and potentially\na healthier heart. If you think you have gum disease, contact your dentist in Roswell\nfor treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Caitlin Mercke<\/a>\nis the owner and operator of Elite\nDentistry<\/a> in Marietta. She has years of dental experience and is currently\npursuing her Fellowship in General Dentistry. She and her staff strive to leave\npositive, lasting impressions on their patients by using the best technology\ndentistry has to offer, such as soft tissue lasers, which can be used to treat\ngum disease. To make an appointment with her, you can call (770)\n587-5655 or click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that nearly half of American adults over the age of 30 have an advanced form of gum disease? Yes, it\u2019s very common, but that doesn\u2019t mean that you shouldn\u2019t worry about it. And don\u2019t be fooled by the name\u2014gum disease in Roswell can affect more than just your mouth. It can also […]<\/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-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224,"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.attractivesmiles.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}