By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    pharmaphorum
    Democracy Comes to Healthcare
    May 12, 2015
    health reform
    Medical Regulations Run Amok!
    March 11, 2013
    The Risk of Concussions in Contact Sports
    September 22, 2017
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How Is Your Dental Health Connected To Heart Health?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > Cardiology > How Is Your Dental Health Connected To Heart Health?
CardiologyDental health

How Is Your Dental Health Connected To Heart Health?

Sean Mallon
Sean Mallon
Share
8 Min Read
dental health connected to heart health
Shutterstock Licensed Photo - By RossHelen | stock photo ID: 237514183
SHARE

What does a healthy smile have to do with a healthy heart? More than you might expect.

Oral hygiene plays a large role in our overall health. Our mouth is teeming with bacteria, many of which are beneficial, or at least harmless. If harmful bacteria are allowed to colonize the mouth, however, they then have direct access to your respiratory and digestive systems.

In the COVID-19 era, we’ve become more concerned with our health and more aware of the dangers of microbes than ever. While handwashing is essential, brushing your teeth and caring for your teeth and gum health is just as important to keep your body healthy.

Consult a dentist, like the experts at Durangodmd.com, to learn how to best protect your smile, and read on to learn how your dental health is connected to your heart health.

More Read

how to handle tooth pain
5 Ways to Deal With Tooth Pain at Home
Osteoporosis Affects Your Oral Health
Latest Technology in Dental Practices
Here’s How To Choose The Right Orthodontist For Invisalign
X-Ray For Wisdom Teeth: How It Helps Plan Your Treatment

Dental Health Risks

If unhealthy bacteria are allowed to multiply in your mouth, they can cause oral infection. This impacts your teeth and gums, causing inflammation, discomfort, bad breath, and other unpleasant symptoms.

Apart from having major consequences for your smile, nasty mouth infections could pose a risk in other parts of your body. In fact, studies suggest that the oral bacteria present in periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease, could be involved in diseases impacting other parts of the body.

This relationship works both ways—the health of your body will impact the health of your mouth, and vice versa. Diabetes and HIV/AIDS can reduce your body’s capacity to fight infection, increasing the chance of developing an infection of the gums. Conversely, maintaining good gum health can help diabetics better control their blood sugar levels.

Choosing the right dentist, especially if you suffer from a condition that can impact your dental health, is a key part of dental care.

Heart Health and Dental Health

Just as there are conditions that impact your gums and teeth, the health of your mouth may increase or lower your risk of developing other conditions. While there’s no clear connection established, research has associated poor dental health with poor cardiovascular health.

Here are some connections between dental health and cardiovascular health:

  • Periodontitis and other gum diseases can increase your risk of heart disease.
  • Bacteria from your mouth can enter your bloodstream and infect the inner lining and valves of your heart, causing endocarditis.
  • Oral bacteria may cause inflammation or infection in the cardiovascular system that may have a role in clogged arteries and strokes.
  • Dental health is vital in managing diabetes, and diabetes can severely impact your cardiovascular health.

A recent study linked tooth-brushing behavior with risk for cardiovascular disease. It’s found that individuals who brush fewer than two times a day were three times more at risk for heart disease.

Inflammation from gum disease may also be a sign of inflammation in other parts of the body, most notably in the heart’s valves. While these studies have not established a clear cause and effect link between oral health and heart health, a healthy smile may well be the way to a healthy heart!

Therefore, protecting your teeth and gums from infection could go a long way in keeping your circulatory system functioning well.

Dental Health Warning Signs

In order to monitor the wellbeing of your mouth, it’s important to know the symptoms of gum disease. This is because undiagnosed gum infections can play a role in increasing the risk of your heart’s health.

The following could be signs that you should consult your dentist to address an issue with your gum health:

  • Sore, inflamed, or discolored gums
  • The production of pus or bleeding from your gums
  • Receding gums, or gums that appear to be pulling away from your teeth
  • Loose teeth
  • Frequent bad breath

Any of these signs could mean an infection of the gums, such as periodontitis. If you suffer from these, you should consult your dentist immediately.

How to Protect Your Dental Health

In order to best protect your heart, how can you maintain good dental health? Experts have a few key tips for keeping your smile bright:

  • Brush your teeth twice daily for at least two minutes each time. Dentists recommend using a soft bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Be aware that brushing too hard can damage your gums and strip the enamel off your teeth.
  • Floss regularly
  • Use mouthwash after flossing or brushing to rinse out food particles and further prevent negative bacteria growth.
  • Replace your toothbrush at least once every three months, if not more often.
  • Visit your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings
  • Avoid smoking.

Taking some forms of medication can also have a negative impact on your dental health. Antihistamines, antidepressants, painkillers, diuretics, and decongestants can all lower your body’s natural saliva production.

Saliva plays a vital antibacterial role in your mouth’s ecosystem. Healthy saliva production helps wash away food particles and neutralize harmful acids, so low saliva production can leave you at a greater risk for infection. If your medication causes dry mouth, working closely with your dentists can help mitigate the risks of low saliva production.

Lastly, it’s important that a lot of the factors for heart disease are the same as the risk factors for mouth disease. Poor diet and smoking are particularly dangerous, and can affect the heart and oral health equally.

Some experts suspect that individuals who brush twice a day may be at a lower risk for heart disease because they pay the same attention to other aspects of their health. Having a regular dental health care outline can go a long way toward making you a healthier individual overall.

A Happy Smile, A Healthy Heart

There are many factors that impact dental health, and just as many that impact cardiovascular health. Contemporary studies suggest that the two also impact each other.

A regular dental care routine, regular visits to the dentist, and refraining from smoking or eating an unhealthy diet can keep your heart and your mouth working as they should. Who knew that the way to a healthy heart was a happy smile!

TAGGED:dental caredental healthdentistryheart healthheart health and dentistry
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

bad oral health habits
Dental healthSpecialties

Ways to Enhance Your Oral Health This Year

January 22, 2021
Dental healthSpecialties

8 Essential Tips for Maintaining Your Invisalign Aligners

May 11, 2024

Statins Benefits Extend Beyond the Heart

October 17, 2011
Dental health

Why Cosmetic Dentistry Is Important – And Isn’t Just About Appearances

June 1, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?