How can brushing and flossing your teeth help your heart?

by Stepy — July 3, 2016

How can brushing and flossing your teeth help your heart?

Most people don’t make the connection between mouth hygiene and heart health. Mouth health is actually a crucial part of well-being, and not only affects the heart, but the whole body.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading health expert and physician explains:

Your mouth is like a window to your health; the soft tissues and your teeth reflect what’s going on in the rest of your body. Inflammation is well-known as a “ravaging” and disease-causing force, and gum disease and other oral diseases produce chronic low-grade inflammation.

When the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease enter into your circulatory system, it causes your liver to release C-reactive proteins, which have inflammatory effects on your entire circulatory system.

Brushing and flossing your teeth help your heart in many ways.

Failing to brush your teeth twice a day and flossing at least once can increase risk of heart disease, and advanced gum disease can greatly increase the risk of fatal heart attack.

Advanced gum disease can also greatly increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and the following conditions:

Dementia: failing to brush twice a day increases your risk of dementia by as much as 65 percent, compared to brushing three times a day
Pneumonia: good oral hygiene has been shown to lower your risk of pneumonia by about 40 percent. Other research has shown that people with periodontitis have a 300 percent greater chance of contracting pneumonia
Erectile dysfunction (ED): ED is more than twice as common among those with periodontitis than those without ED
Kidney disease and more

So can brushing and flossing your teeth help your heart? The answer is: absolutely yes.

Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.

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REFERENCES:
1. “The Importance of Daily Flossing.” Mercola.com. Mercola.com, n.d. Web. 2 July 2016.
2. “Toothbrushing, Inflammation, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Results from Scottish Health Survey.” BMJ. BMJ, n.d. Web. 02 July 2016.
3. “Not Flossing Can Hurt Your Teeth—and Heart.” University of Cincinnati. University of Cincinnati, n.d. Web. 2 July 2016.