Generally, people will go to the dentist when their teeth hurt, which is a big red flag that tooth decay is imminent! Others are great dental citizens and do their due diligence with a bi-annual teeth cleaning, and then there are those that avoid the dentist altogether. Dental health is crucial and your teeth speak for your body and can let you in on early warning signs, if you only look —or let your local dentist take a peek!
At Precision Dental of Windsor, we are a family dentistry practice that insists on preventative dental care as the beginning of good oral health for everyone. Knowing your teeth and what they’re telling you is extremely beneficial and makes you a better, well-informed patient. Do you know how your teeth display signs of heart concerns? Find out more in today’s post!
In The Thick Of Calculus: What It Means To Heart Health
Dental calculus — tartar — is the yellowish, milky buildup that is present on your teeth and needs to be removed by your dentist. Everyone dreads the removal of tartar, but if left to its own insidious devices, will cause major tooth decay. No one enjoys the scraping and picking that dentists have to do, and if you have a plethora of it, you may want to pay closer attention. Tartar will build up even with the most consistent and pristine oral health habits of brushing and flossing, and if you do this regularly and your dentist comments that you have an abundance of thick buildup, this could mean your heart health is at risk.
Thick, large amounts of dental calculus is one of the signs that you may have an increased risk for a heart attack.
…but what’s the link?
Not every dentist is taught this dental school, but large bodies of scientific evidence are in support of this finding.
Plaque is plaque, and not all of it is from fat!
There is a disconnect between the plaque that forms on your arteries and the plaque on your teeth is different, however, it’s not. Plaque is plaque is plaque — it’s all the same.
People often associate heart disease with fatty plaque that is growing and clogging the arteries. Research has moved from the notion that it’s fat that is causing heart disease because, as it turns out, it’s unpredictable for predicting heart disease. Current evidence-based findings are showing that calcium and heart disease are largely linked.
Arteries should be fluid and elastic, but arterial plaque makes them hard and rigid. Instead of focusing so much on fat, consider seeing your doctor for a coronary calcium score. If your teeth have a good amount of calculus and your coronary calcium scores are higher, think about K2. This nutrient is essential to both dental health and oral health because it takes the circulating calcium and directs it to your bones and not your arteries.
We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface on this topic, so we’re going to leave you hanging and resume the conversation in part two!
Do you need a dental cleaning close to your Windsor home? Schedule an appointment and stop into our convenient location right off of Main street!