Recent research shows that treating gum disease or avoiding it altogether with proper oral hygiene may improve the health of the coronary arteries. The findings add to evidence that taking care of your teeth may be one way of preventing coronary artery disease.
In the development of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis is the underlying cause. Atherosclerosis is caused by a buildup of plaques within the walls of the artery. These plaques eventually lead to a decrease in the size of the lumen of the artery blocking blood flow that can lead to chest pain or a heart attack.
Atherosclerosis does not develop overnight; it takes years of poor lifestyle behaviors that lead to accumulation of cells, fats, and cholesterol on the once smooth inner lining of the arteries. The process starts when the lining of the artery becomes injured often from toxins such as cigarette smoke or inflammation .The injured lining then expresses molecules that attract white blood cells (our first line of defense) and low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol. The damaged lining now becomes permeable to the white blood cells and LDL cholesterol, which then enter to the inner surface of the artery only to start decreasing the size of the arterial lumen.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that aggressively treating gum disease, a chronic bacterial infection, may not only save your teeth but improve the health of the coronary arteries.
This study involved 120 adults with severe gum disease; the participants were assigned to undergo a routine dental cleaning or a aggressive periodontal treatment therapy. Participants in the latter group received local anesthesia so a deep periodontal cleaning and extraction of diseased teeth could be performed. Antibiotics were injected into the infected gums. Two months later the participants who received the more aggressive therapy had better endothelial function than those who received the less aggressive treatment These findings are clear evidence that practicing good oral hygiene is just one of many preventive ways to take care of your heart.
