Most people try to do their best to look after their teeth. Afterall, they’re the only set you can get, so maintenance is important. However, there are some very common issues that a lot of people face, and they can have a big impact on your oral health. Going for a regular check up with your local dentist is important, as they can spot any problems before they become too bad, helping you to keep your teeth and mouth healthier for longer. No matter where you live there are plenty of dentists around, so it’s crucial that you book in with them. If you’re looking for a dentist in London, you only have to do a quick Google search and you’ll find hundreds close to you. One oral health issue that a lot of people suffer from is gum disease. Gum disease may seem like something you think only happens to people who don’t look after their teeth, but recently there have been links showing that it could be tied into issues with your blood pressure. So, keep reading and find out what the links are between gum disease and blood pressure…
Types of Gum Disease
There are two main types of gum disease: gingivitis and periodontitis. Both of these can wreak havoc with your oral health and cause all sorts of issues. Gingivitis is the mildest form of gum disease you can have, and it typically presents as bleeding gums. At this stage, it’s reversible and can be treated. However, periodontitis comes in lots of different stages, and it’s not as treatable. As well as impacting your gums, periodontitis reaches down into your gum line and starts to cause a decay of your jawbone. The main symptoms are chronic bad breath, badly receding gums, and gingival pus pockets. Periodontitis can go all the way from aggressive to systemic, and it can be increasingly hard to treat.
Side Effects of Gum Disease
Studies have shown that gum disease can be linked to a number of illnesses like strokes, heart disease, and diabetes. It’s also been said that it can be harmful during pregnancy as well. This is why it’s important that you catch gum disease in the earliest stages if you can’t prevent it entirely, so you can lower your chances of developing any further diseases.
What High Blood Pressure Means
Your blood pressure is the amount of force that your heart has to use to pump your blood around your body effectively, so it’s important that you keep it at a healthy range. If your blood pressure gets too high, then it can lead to things like strokes and heart attacks. It’s recommended that you have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis to ensure that it’s where it should be. Everybody’s blood pressure will be different, and a number of things can factor into your average range. For instance, it’s often thought that younger women in general have a slightly lower blood pressure. However, it’s when it becomes too low or high that it can be dangerous.
The Current Findings
A recent study found that when someone has gum disease, they may struggle to maintain normal blood pressure and it may even prevent their blood pressure lowering medication from working properly. Apparently, around 20% of people with gum disease couldn’t reach healthy blood pressure targets and found that medication didn’t help fix the problem. So, as you can see, having good oral health has a massive impact on your overall health too. Another study found that reversing gum disease actually helped to lower blood pressure and improve the use of medication to do so as well. So, as you can see, there is a clear link between gum disease and high blood pressure and means that you can’t treat one without the other.
Preventing Gum Disease and High Blood Pressure
There are lots of ways you can prevent gum disease, and one of the main ones is through maintain good oral health. It’s also important that you have regular check ups with your dentist so that they can catch any signs of it as early as possible. That way you’ll have the best shot of treating it and eradicating it for good. High blood pressure can also be prevented, and it’s thought that living a healthy lifestyle is the number one way to do so. Getting enough exercise, eating nourishing food, and getting plenty of sleep is the key to unlocking healthy blood pressure. So, if you want to prevent both gum disease and high blood pressure, you need to be looking after yourself from the inside out.
While it may seem like a strange cross over, gum disease and high blood pressure do factor into each other quite a bit. With gum disease making it harder for you to manage high blood pressure and increasing your risk of stroke and heart attacks further, it’s no wonder dentists are always working hard to try and eradicate it. So, if you haven’t had a dentist check up in a while, make an appointment now and make sure that you catch your gum disease early! While it’s cliché, prevention is always the best medicine.