Heart Disease

Take care of your gums...help your heart? The American Heart Association recently published a statement supporting an association between gum disease and heart disease. The article noted that current scientific data do not indicate if regular brushing and flossing or treatment of gum disease will decrease the incidence, rate or severity of the narrowing of the arteries (called atherosclerosis) that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. However, many studies show an as-yet-unexplained association between gum disease and several serious health conditions, including heart disease, even after adjusting for common risk factors. Gum disease is an infection of the tissues that support the teeth and is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. …