Your Heart Hearts Healthy Gums
February was both Heart Health Month and Gum Disease Awareness Month. (It also happened to be National Grapefruit Month, but that’s a tad off topic for our purposes.)
That meant it was the perfect time of year to check in with one of the leading experts in understanding the link between oral health and cardiovascular health, Dr. Amy Doneen.
Dr. Doneen is the owner and medical director of The Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention Center (HASPC) in Spokane, WA, a private clinical practice that serves patients from all over the world. One of her landmark studies was the first to identify oral bacteria from gum disease as a major contributing cause of CVD.
“There’s more than a correlation between healthy gums and a healthy heart. There’s a direct link, also known as your body’s cardiovascular system.” –Dr. Amy Doneen
Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and gum disease effects over 80% of American adults, addressing bacteria before they enter the bloodstream can be life saving.
Dr. Doneen outlines her simple four-step approach for patients to get on the road to oral health, which lowers risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and even cold and flu.
She’s also a proponent of The Perio Protect Method® which eliminates harmful bacteria below the gum line before they have a chance to enter the cardiovascular system and create blood clots.
“Perio Protect treats gum disease and lowers risk for systemic health issues by removing malignant bacteria without creating more wounds in the mouth.” –Dr. Amy Doneen
She brings up another important aspect of treatment using our patented Perio Trays,® wound care. Gum disease causing bacteria eat away at the gums, leaving wounds where more bacteria can breed as they gain easy access to your body’s bloodstream.
Once they find a home, they will quickly settle in and multiply.
By cleaning the wounds without incisions, The Perio Protect Method promotes healing along with bacteria removal. Over a short period of time—as soon as three weeks—patients and their doctors notice reduced swelling.
Beyond lowering the number of harmful bacteria that can find their way to your heart, other welcome side effects include whiter teeth and fresher breath. So, it’s only fitting that February is also Creative Romance Month.
