Learn more about “How to reduce your risk for getting heart attack or stroke up to four times”
Dental Health, Heart Diseases and Stroke: The health of your mouth may affect your overall health of your body. Inproper oral health may influence your body’s response to heart disease and stroke. Healthy gums help protect your body from the bacteria (germs) on your teeth and in your mouth that can cause an infection. If germs stay on your teeth for too long, layers of plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) develop. This buildup leads to early gum disease, called gingivitis. Redness, swollen, tender or bleeding gums are symtomes of an early gum infection. Unless the infection is treated the inflammation continues. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to an infection or a foreign object in side our body. Experts think that as inflamed blood vessels swell less blood may flow to the heart and the rest of the body, raising blood pressure. Bacteria may enter the bloodstream through the gums and become part of fatty plaques (a buildup of fat, cholesterol, calcium a