The consequences and dangers of gum disease are enormous. Everything from deterioration in your jaw to infections that spread to other parts of your body can result from not taking proper care of your gums. Managing your gum health is as simple as going to your dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings, brushing and flossing your teeth, and being mindful of your diet.
Still, gum disease is very common. It’s easy to skip dental appointments, forget to floss, and consume a lot of sugar. All of which can affect your oral health. Knowing the potential consequences of neglecting your oral hygiene is important.
If you found out that your gum disease was spreading infections and causing other complications in your body, wouldn’t you be more likely to treat it? Managing and preventing gum disease can have a serious impact on your health.
In fact, recent studies have shown that gum disease may actually raise your blood pressure. In fact, a study conducted in the UK showed that patients with gum disease were 49% more likely to have high blood pressure. Further studies showed a drop in high blood pressure back to normal, healthy ranges after treatment of gum disease.
While this connection hasn’t been proven concretely. The correlation is enough to allow us to assume that the health of your gums is closely related to your overall health. Periodontitis and gum disease can cause bacteria to become trapped in the gums resulting in pain, bleeding, and further complications.
When that bacteria accumulates around teeth and gums, it begins to spread to other parts of the body. This inflammation has been shown to increase blood pressure. Sometimes that increase is substantial enough for a patient to be diagnosed with high blood pressure.
High blood pressure carries its own negative consequences. High blood pressure can lead to blood clots in the arteries, which can eventually lead to a stroke. It can also result in a heart attack, heart disease, dementia, and other serious conditions. Without proper treatment, high blood pressure is extremely dangerous. Because of that, it’s important to further explore the connection between high blood pressure and gum disease. If there is direct causation, that could lead to many new insights about the nature of gum disease.
Determining the validity of the claim that there’s a link between high blood pressure and gum disease can help uncover new treatments for high blood pressure. If there is a link between the two, there is another reason to treat and manage gum disease. While gum disease, or periodontitis, can cause many potentially life-threatening issues in the body, its treatment may solve problems such as high blood pressure.
Even without high blood pressure, treating gum disease can prevent many life-threatening conditions from developing. Further, preventing gum disease is as simple as sticking to a serious dental hygiene regimen.
If you’re interested in gum disease treatment options, or are interested in learning more about the complications associated with gum disease, call our office and schedule an appointment today.
