Healthy Teeth Healthy Heart

Healthy Teeth, Healthy Heart
Find out how flossing could save more than your smile.

By the time we reach adulthood, most of us know that the consequences of not flossing are pretty tough on our teeth. Daily flossing is a vital part of dental care and promotes healthy teeth and gums. Sounds easy enough. But what if you knew that this simple daily ritual not only protects your mouth, but also may protect your heart and arteries? Suddenly, that little white string becomes more like a lifeline.

A blow to your smile
When we don't floss regularly, our teeth can really suffer. A soft, sticky, bacterial film begins to accumulate on neglected teeth, especially below the gum line. Eventually the acids in these soft, sticky plaques begin to destroy the outer enamel of teeth. Gums may become irritated and bleed. Breath may start to smell bad. And after a while, these soft, sticky plaques will harden into crusty yellow or brown deposits—called tartar—and make it even easier for more plaque to stick and accumulate on teeth. Eventually, dental diseases that lead to tooth loss can take hold, resulting in a failing smile and possibly even diminished eating function or speech impairment.

As if all of this were not reason enough to floss, now research suggests that regular flossing may have health impacts beyond your mouth.

Here are three ways flossing may protect your health:

1. Flossing may protect your heart
True, lack of flossing can lead to gingivitis and periodontal diseases, but the consequences of poor dental health may reach beyond your mouth and to your heart. Research has shown a distinct connection between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease.

Men under age fifty with advanced periodontal disease were found to be 2.6 times more likely to die prematurely and 3 times more likely to die of heart disease compared to men with healthy teeth and gums.

In one emergency room study, patients who came to the ER with chest pain were found to have a higher rate of recurring gum infections. Researchers are not sure what is behind the connection, but the worrisome data makes the simple task of flossing a no-brainer for optimal health.
2. Flossing may protect your arteries
Flossing and clogged arteries also may be related. Research has revealed that the same bacteria in tooth plaque also are found in the deadly fat deposits that obstruct arteries. Inflammation is a crucial link in the causal chain that leads to plaque and arterial obstruction. Researchers speculate that bacteria from the mouth may enter the bloodstream and contribute to inflammation and artery clogging.

3. Flossing may reduce your risk of diabetes and its complications
If you already have certain health concerns, flossing may help protect
you from any further health complications. For example, periodontal disease appears to make insulin resistance worse. When cells require more insulin to take up blood sugar from the blood stream, blood
insulin and eventually blood sugar levels will rise. Increases in blood insulin and blood sugar levels both have undesirable effects, the best known being the development of type 2 diabetes.

Flossing regularly can make your age as much as 6.4 years younger.

To the extent that good oral hygiene reduces plaque, gingivitis, periodontal disease, and the accompanying inflammatory processes, proper oral hygiene may in turn improve insulin sensitivity of liver and muscle cells and reduce blood sugar levels and the need for insulin.

Let the string lead the way
More and more research is pointing to ties between oral health and overall health. Even when taking into consideration other bad health habits such as smoking or excessive drinking, studies have still shown a strong link between periodontal disease and other diseases. Short of a visit to the dentist, no other single personal oral healthcare habit alone has the same ability to remove plaque between teeth and below your gum line.

Avoid relying exclusively on waterpiks for dental hygiene. The current technology is not as effective as traditional brushing and flossing.

Being aware of the connection between poor oral health and disease gives you one more opportunity to achieve premium wellness.

The next time you floss, use these tips to get the most out of that little white string:

Be sure to slide the floss under your gum line and also to gently curl it around each tooth as you floss.
Floss gently, but don't quit because your gums bleed. Eventually they will become stronger and bleed less with regular flossing.
Use fresh floss for each tooth juncture.
If you find it difficult to manipulate floss with your fingers, purchase dental floss picks or holders that anchor sections of floss for you in a small, U-shaped plastic device.