The Connection Between Your Gums and Your Heart: What You Need to Know

You might not think your oral health affects your overall health, but the truth is, there’s a relationship between what happens in your mouth and what happens in the rest of your body, like your heart.

Researchers have discovered that cardiovascular disease is relatively common in patients who have periodontal (gum) disease, and both men and women who have periodontal disease are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, though there may or may not be a causal link between the two.

At Hometown Family Dental Centers, our expert dental professionals diagnose and treat gum disease at our offices in Fayetteville, Raeford, and Vass, North Carolina. As many people aren’t aware of the connection between the two conditions, we’d like to take this opportunity to explain how they’re related and why it’s even more important to prioritize your oral health.

What is gum disease?

Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that hold your teeth in place. It’s usually caused by poor oral hygiene habits (i.e., failure to brush and floss every day), which allow plaque, a sticky film of food debris and bacteria, to build up on the teeth.

Left untreated, plaque hardens into tartar below the gum line, leading to swollen, bleeding gums, painful chewing, loose teeth, and even tooth loss. You can’t remove tartar at home; only a dental professional can perform the deep cleaning necessary to remove the source of the problem.

About half of adults in the United States have mild-to-moderate gum disease, with severe periodontitis affecting up to 15% of the population.

The gum-heart connection

The relationship between gum disease and cardiovascular disease is among the best-studied links between oral health and systemic disease. Inflammation from gum disease allows bacteria to leave the mouth and travel through the bloodstream into the vessels around the heart.

This additional inflammation increases the severity of arterial plaque buildup (atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries) and leads to heart problems, including requiring the heart to work harder to pump blood and forming blockages that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

According to a University of Utah researcher, there’s a 30% higher risk of a heart attack in an individual who has periodontal disease, and up to a 2.5 times greater risk of stroke.

In addition, strong evidence indicates that increased cardiovascular risk is associated with elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins in the immune system, consistent with findings in periodontitis.

If you’d like to learn more about the gum-heart connection or schedule a professional cleaning to improve your oral health, call Hometown Family Dental Centers in Fayetteville, Raeford, or Vass, North Carolina, and we’ll be happy to accommodate you.