Did you know that by taking care of your mouth, you are also protecting your heart? While the details and evidence are still being pursued, the research showing the correlation between gum disease and heart disease is quite strong. To understand this, it’s important to learn the shared effects that periodontitis (gum disease) and heart disease have on the body.

Inflammation: Gum disease begins with an inflammatory process within the gum tissues. When determining a patient’s risk for heart attack, a physician can look at the level of CRP (or C-reactive proteins) in the blood. High amounts of these inflammatory proteins are present in those with gum disease as well as those with heart disease. (more…)