Oral and heart health affect each other. People with gum disease have a much higher risk of having a stroke. In addition, the rate of bypass is higher in patients with poor oral hygiene.
Dentists and cardiologists reviewed more than 100 medical studies, articles, and other data on the possible link between heart and dental health. Results; It shows that gum disease is a risk factor for coronary heart failure, gum disease is a contributing factor to veins and arteries, people with gum disease have a higher risk of stroke, and there is a direct link between clogged arteries in the legs and gum disease.
Preventive Medicine Should Be Considered
Heart diseases, also known as cardiovascular diseases, occur as a result of narrowing or complete blockage of the vessels; can lead to conditions such as heart attack, stroke or chest tightness. Today, modern medicine is taking important steps towards transforming from curative medicine to preventive medicine. In other words, the focus of today’s medicine is; It is not to treat the disease after it occurs, but to prevent the formation of the disease by taking the necessary precautions and eliminating the preventable risk factors. We see the most concrete examples of these exciting developments in preventive medicine in the field of heart diseases. Thanks to the awareness of ‘protecting our heart’ created by today’s medicine in the society, the precautions to be taken to prevent heart diseases have now become known by heart by those who care about their health. Unfortunately, despite our genetic heritage and advancing age, which are risk factors that we cannot eliminate; We are aware of how smoking, hypertension and high cholesterol values, and an irregular lifestyle invite heart diseases. Diabetes or uncontrolled sugar values are no longer a risk factor for heart disease, but are considered a heart disease equivalent. In other words, those who have diabetes are not considered as heart disease candidates, but directly as heart patients. We all know how important daily and regular exercise is for our heart health. As the results of research on our heart health are announced, new risk factors are added to this list, and some of them astonish us. For example, the common result of three or four major studies conducted in recent years; insistently points out that one of the ways to our heart health is through our mouth… Yes, you heard right; Oral health and oral hygiene are now a very important determining factor for our heart health, proven by many studies in recent years. Long story short; After that, we have to get the approval of our dentist while having our heart check-ups. Let’s look at the details of this together. Let’s review our classical knowledge first. There were some relations between our oral health and our heart health that we have known for many years. However, this information was not intended to protect our heart health, but to protect our heart, which already had a structural disorder and/or had surgery for this reason.
Oral health is very important in children with congenital heart disease and adults with heart valve disease. Bacteria formed in decayed teeth; It is called “infective endocarditis” when it mixes with the blood in treatments such as fillings and extractions to be made on these teeth, and then settles in the problematic area of the heart, which is already an area prone to infection, and multiplies there. This leads to infection of the tissue lining the inner surface of the heart. Infective endocarditis is an infection that physicians are extremely afraid of, requires the patient to take long-term (at least six weeks) antibiotic treatment in the hospital, and in addition, it is a life-threatening infection. Another risky group for Infective Endocarditis is patients who have a prosthesis implanted in their heart, such as an artificial heart valve, heart patch, or pacemaker. Bacteria formed on the teeth multiply on the prosthesis placed in the heart, this time with the mechanism we have just mentioned, and lead to the formation of an extremely deadly picture we call ‘prosthetic endocarditis’.
Antibiotic Before Procedure
For all these reasons, children with congenital heart disease, adults with heart valve disease, and people who have had any prosthesis implanted in their hearts should be in good communication with their dentists and in order to prevent such undesirable problems, it is necessary to use appropriate antibiotics before any intervention to the teeth. treatment is vital. However, in my opinion, what is more important is to explain to these people how important oral and dental health is for them, and to prevent tooth decay and gum disease by performing oral and dental care very well.
Increases Risk of Bypass
What we have reviewed so far has been our classical information… But now I will start to give you the information that will surprise you. Hold tight because research in recent years; It turns out that the cavities on your teeth and the health of your gums are directly related to your risk of having a heart attack, and even a stroke, if we go further. As a result of the study, published in Japan just three months ago, which included 785,591 patients in 47 states followed for six years, the death rate from sudden cardiac arrest in patients over the age of 65 and with dental caries or gum infection was five times higher than in patients with good oral hygiene. declared to be excessive. Now all dentists and doctors dealing with heart diseases have begun to insistently emphasize the importance of this issue to their patients. In addition, there are publications describing the relationship between periodontal disease and having a heart attack and reporting that patients with poor oral hygiene have an increased risk of undergoing bypass surgery. More interestingly, the results of the study, which reported that impaired oral hygiene causes thickening in both of our jugular veins and increases the risk of stroke, has now completely removed our doubts on this issue.
Technology Increases Patient Comfort
Here’s what technology offers to facilitate oral and dental health treatments for heart patients:
We can summarize:
1) Painless, bleeding-free and seamless implant applications
2) Laser assisted gum treatments
3) Removal of dental caries with laser
4) Production of allergy-free oral prostheses with Cad-Cam
5) Laser cleaning of infected tooth roots
These technologies enable cardiac patients to undergo treatment in a short time without stress in the dentist’s chair and in most cases without the use of anesthesia.