February seems like the most perfect time to talk about your heart! It's the month of love.
We LOVE talking about this stuff! We are passionate about it! Now what, you might ask, does a dental office have to say about a heart?! We are all about the teeth and gums. However, as we've come to see, our whole body is connected and you can't look at one part in isolation. Our mouth can have a HUGE impact on our heart!
Current research has linked poor oral care, in particular, gum problems, with heart disease. The bacteria in the plaque on our teeth can access the bloodstream by our bleeding gums and cause heart issues including risk for stroke and coronary artery disease.
Poor dental health increases the risk of a bacterial infection in the blood stream, which can affect the heart valves. Oral health may be particularly important if you have artificial heart valves - Mayo Clinic
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Both of us can do something about this:
First, you can make sure you do a good job brushing and flossing every day.
You can schedule regular dental appointments.
We can check your mouth for gum disease
We can clean your mouth regularly
We can address ANY issues that come up as they arise.
Maybe your didn't know that brushing your teeth was doing much more than making a shiny smile, or visiting your dentist was much more than getting that fresh from the dentist feeling but now that you do, will you think of things differently when you brush today?