Your Gums and Your Heart
Had dinner last night with a friend that I’ve known in the dental field for thirty years. I specify that so that if you ever invite me to dinner, unless you’re in dentistry, this particular subject won’t come up. Anyway, we were talking about periodontal health over a glass of Chianti and some fava beans. Specifically, periodontal health as it effects the cardio-vascular system and the rest of the body in general. My friend Barney had been to a legal seminar where they were discussing suing dentists whose patients had died of heart disease. The deaths weren’t related to anything that happened in the dental office, except that the dentist hadn’t treated the patient’s gum disease (periodontitis) adequately, and there being such a strong correlation between inflammation and heart disease, or strokes for that matter, the oral condition could have precipitated the life-ending heart condition. Taking care of your teeth is such a pain, way less satisfying than taking care of