Heart Disease and Dental Health
December 29, 2019
Heart diseases account for 30 % of all deaths annually and are the main cause of death in New Zealand.
Periodontal disease and heart disease both have multiple risk factors, many of which are shared. For this reason it is difficult to study the association between them. However they are both chronic inflammatory diseases. Recently, this inflammation is thought to be the link between the two. Neither have been proven to cause the other, however having periodontal disease may increase your risk of heart disease. Treating periodontal disease will simply decrease the inflammatory load that your body has to cope with.
The shared risk factors for gum disease and heart disease that can be modified include:
- tobacco smoking
- diabetes mellitus
- stress
- obesity
How to reduce your risk of gum disease and heart disease
- Quit smoking
- Reduce your intake of salt and sugar
- Reduce your intake of high cholesterol and saturated fat containing foods
- Control your weight by reducing calorie intake and exercising regularly
- Try and minimise stress if possible
- Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
- Clean in between your teeth daily with floss or other dental aids
- Have regular dentist visits at least once per year
- Have regular hygienist treatment and follow their advice
There are situations where pain relief is needed, such as travelling in to see us with a sore tooth, or healing an infected or damaged tooth. We give you some guidelines on how best to manage dental pain.
A typical dental hygienist appointment will involve ‘debridement and prophylaxis’, the removal of a plaque and calculus from the surfaces of your teeth. We explain what may happen after this procedure.
We explain what to expect after a Root Canal treatment - how to optimise the success of the treatment and avoid possible complications.