Dentists often say that bleeding gums are a bad sign of plaque and tartar, chiding patients for not flossing enough. However, bleeding gums may be a sign of more serious health issues, according to a March 22, 2013 article by the Daily Mail (âTeeth Loss Linked to Heart Attacks, Diabetes and High Cholesterol ‘Because It Causes Inflammation in the Bloodstream’â)(dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2297907/Teeth-loss-linked-heart-attacks-diabetes-high-cholesterol-causes-inflammation-bloodstream.html). Kaveh Kanani, a dentist in Woodland Hills, says that twice yearly dental visits can help in spotting early warnings signs of bigger health problems.
Of course, many patients get told to do healthy things, said the Woodland Hills dentist, but what matters is following through. What might change people’s minds about having more regular checkups dental visits, noted Dr. Kanani, might not be a price breakdown of dental implant costs â but knowing that gum bleeding and bad breath could mean heart disease down the road â and not just cavities.
It might also help patients to know, per the Daily Mail, that bad brushing and flossing might, over time, lead to â700 different types of bacteriaâ to float through the bloodstream, increasing all sorts of issues on top of heart attack risks. The research behind this assertion comes from a Swedish study from Uppsala University, spanning just under 40 countries. Out of a few less than 16,000 people, 25% reported gum bleeding issues, 40% were missing more than half their teeth, and 16% had no teeth at all. Gum bleeding and loose teeth are one thing, said Dr. Kanani, but the dental implant cost of replacing half the teeth in a person’s mouth would be staggering.
The Swedish study in the Daily Mail mentioned an inverse relationship between an enzyme that helps to harden arteries, and lost teeth. For every tooth gone, the inflammation enzyme levels went up, along with blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and inches around the waist. The risk for diabetes has long been associated with other heart issues, and each significant tooth loss was linked to an 11% increase in diabetes risk factors.
In the Daily Mail article, it was noted that inflammation in the body could be due to a number of causes, and that it’s still not clear whether gum disease might cause heart disease, or be a significant factor. In any case, noted Dr. Kanani, more double-checking on both teeth and heart can’t hurt as badly as having a lifelong struggle with diabetes or heart disease. He notes that for those worried about dental implants cost, the Around the Corner Dental Health Spa is offering a monthly implant special of just under $400, and those who want sedation can have it for $375.
Dr. Kaveh Kanani attended California State University for his biology degree, and New York University gave him a Dental Surgery doctorate. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry, officially recognized as reliable in courts, gave him an Associate Fellowship, and Dr. Kanani has attended more than a few of their exacting AAID Maxi courses. In 2001, Dr. Kanani opened the Woodland Hills Dental Spa, after becoming an associate of Southern California Family Dentistry, the West Los Angeles Dental Health Institute, and South Bay Dental. To schedule a meeting or hear more from Dr. Kanani dentist Woodland Hills about painless dental procedures, go to woodlandhillsdentalspa.com, or call (818) 962-1141 to arrange a meeting.