Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tooth Decay & Heart Disease

One way to fight heart disease could also leave you with healthy teeth.

As strange as this sounds, getting regular dental cleaning could also lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

We've known for years that there is a connection between how healthy your teeth are and your chances of having heart disease. That's because having tooth decay and periodontal disease leads to an increase in inflammation around the mouth. That inflammation can spread to other parts of the body including the heart, causing the risk of having a heart attack to rise.

So, keeping teeth clean is important, but two new studies show just how much needs to be done. In one study, following more than 100,000 Taiwanese for 7 years, those who had their teeth cleaned by a dentist at least twice a year cut their risk of having either a heart attack or stroke.

In a separate Swedish study, researchers found that different types of gum disease lead to different problems. People who fewer teeth and more infections at the base of the teeth they had left, also had a greater risk of a heart attack or congestive heart failure. On the other hand, those with more gum bleeding also had a bigger risk of having a stroke.

So, the bottom line is to take care of your teeth and they will help you take care of your heart.

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