Gum disease and its link to heart disease

For several years, Dr Maya and Dr Gomez  have been telling our patients about what has been called the Oral Systemic Link.  There has been a growing body of science to show a link between  gum disease  and heart disease.  Now, in concert with one another, both the American Journal of Cardiology and the American Academy of Periodontology have come out with strong recommendations in dealing with their patients who are at risk for either heart or gum disease.

Some of the specific recommendations are as follows

Patients with gum disease  (periodontitis) who have one known major atherosclerotic CVD (Cardiovascular Disease) risk factor such as smoking, immediate family history for CVD, or a history of increased amounts of lipids in the blood should consider a medical evaluation if they have not done so in the last 12 months.

A periodontal evaluation should be considered in patients with atherosclerotic CVD who have: signs or symptoms of gum disease (THE NUMBER ONE SIGN IS USUALLY BLEEDING GUMS), significant tooth loss and unexplained elevation of hs-CRP or other inflammatory biomarkers.

IT BOILS DOWN TO THIS.   Both heart and gum disease are inflammatory diseases.  Untreated chronic inflammation can lead to dysfunction of the affected tissues (This is the cause of both gum tissue and bone loss secondary to the bacterial infection of gum disease). 

And this is only the tip of the iceberg, there are potentially multiple relationships between the chronic inflammation of gum disease and other systemic disease in the body.

For years the motto at MayaDental has been, the healthier the mouth, the healthier your body.

If you know anyone who has recently discovered they have, or are at high risk for heart disease let them know we can help them. We are centrally located at our Studio City Dental Office at 12840 Riverside Dr Suite 404  Studio City, CA 91607.  Our phone number is 818-762-0105.  You can visit us on the web at www.mayadental.com

SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR PATIENTS: Mention this blog and get off 10% up to $100.00 off of any previoiusly diagnosed dentistry to get you back into the swing of it at our new office. Offer expires September 1 , 2009

Prevention is the best medicine

I see so many instances in my Studio City Dental practice where prevention could save not just teeth but also lots of money!  A few days ago, an 18 year old young man came into the office for a checkup and cleaning.  It had been a few years since he had come to the office.  He came in because he was having some discomfort in a tooth and also wanted to whiten his teeth with our ZOOM whitening.   We took some Xrays and I did an examination.

After reviewing the xrays, I discovered he had 9 cavities!  The tooth that was bothering him needed  root canal treatment and a crown as well.  He was shocked by this news and couldn’t quite believe it.  But it was true.  I explained to him how these cavities formed and how we were going to fix them.  I told him we would fill his cavities with tooth colored fillings, as we do not use the mercury containing fillings anymore.    I also explained to him how the root canal could have been avoided if he had come for regular checkups.  A simple preventative measure like a few xrays per year could have saved him thousands of dollars, not to mention the pain he was having. 

In my years as a Studio City dentist, I have seen how important it is for us to get our teeth checked regularly and cleaned professionally.  This checkup appointment usually takes about 45 minutes and costs about $100.  This is a small price to pay in order to avoid much higher costs down the road.  This kind of prevention will help avoid costly and painful instances which more often that not, come at the worst times! 

IT ALL STARTS WITH HYGIENE

Day in day out at my Studio City dental practice, I see various dental problems among the general population. I can confidently say that most of these problems arise from the lack of proper dental hygiene. Periodontal disease is the #1 cause of losing teeth. The disease can start with gingivits, which affects more than 50% of my patients. If it is left untreated, the disease will progress in stages. You will not typically feel any pain with its progression until the disease reaches an advanced stage. It is at that point that the tooth will loosen and either fall out or will have to be taken out. The problem is that it is too late at that point. We need to catch the problem way before this happens. Genetics does play a part, however, if one brushes and flosses properly on a regular basis, the probability of periodontal disease greatly decreases. In fact, it is not just periodontal disease that decreases but also dental cavities that decrease.

I see it all the time. Here is a typical scenario. A teenager comes into the office and I find 6 cavities on them. They all show to be growing in between the teeth. This tells me that the teenager is not flossing properly on a regular basis. Even though you cannot see them, these cavities could be large! This can be prevented by flossing every day and also making sure you get your teeth cleaned every 6 months. This will greatly decrease the probability that cavities will form, even in teenagers! The moral of the story is that you need to floss your teeth daily, not just brush them!

So as you can see, simple habits like brushing twice a day and flossing daily can help you keep your teeth healthy and keep them forever! : )