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The Woodcrest, CA dentists at Riverside Dental Group strongly believe in the oral-systemic connection; that your overall health and dental health are intertwined. February is National Heart Month, and obesity is an issue that can greatly impact your heart health. If you are significantly overweight, you join a growing number of people that make up about one-third of the American population. Maintaining a healthy weight doesn’t just reduce your chances of heart disease, but also lowers risks of type 2 diabetes and certain forms of cancer. New evidence that obesity even links to gum disease was supported by last year’s study in the January/February 2013 issue of General Dentistry.

Can Gum Disease Result from Obesity?

Obesity isn’t the only epidemic health issue in the United States. After reaching the age of 30, approximately half of the population is diagnosed with gum disease. And those are just the people who follow through with their dental checkups. Dr. Charlene Krejci, lead author on an article written about the study says, “We know that being overweight can affect many aspects of a person’s health.” Dr. Krejci notes that people who struggle with clinical obesity produce inflammatory proteins called cytokines. These proteins will directly harm gum tissues. Cytokines also reduce blood flow to gingival tissues, raising periodontal disease rates even higher.

Dental Self-Care Can Help

Additional research regarding the relationship between gum disease and obesity is underway. Spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Dr. Samer G. Shamoon, points out oral hygiene strategies as the most reliable method for avoiding gum disease, regardless of your body weight. Basic dental self-care recommendations include brushing your teeth two times a day, flossing daily, and scheduling a dental checkup/cleaning every six months. Stopping gum disease before it starts is the ultimate goal, but early diagnosis will lead to a higher success rate for periodontal treatment.

Dental Checkups from Riverside, CA Dentists

Contact Dental Associates of Riverside at (951) 369-1001. Our family dentist office serves patients throughout Riverside County, including Corona, Temecula, and Moreno Valley.