Healthy gums, healthy heart

Posted on Mar 1st 2007 2:46PM by Rigel Celeste

In a study of 120 people suffering from severe cases of gum disease (periodontitis), those who received more aggressive treatment showed healthier cardiovascular systems in the long run.

The participants were split into two groups, one receiving standard gum disease treatment (having teeth scraped and polished) while the other received more aggressive therapy (anesthesia with below the gum-line plaque removal, and possible teeth extractions). Although at first it appeared the standard-treatment group was doing better, in the long run (2+ months) the aggressive-therapy group had much improved blood vessel health.

It's like that song "the hip bone's connected to the leg bone," but it's your heart and teeth instead.

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Tags: dental, dentist, gum disease, GumDisease, gums, mouth, oral, peridontitis, teeth

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

laura 3-02-2007 @ 8:43AM

Dental care should be covered by all medical insurances.

Jethro 3-02-2007 @ 12:22PM

Dentistry is a self serving racket designed to never ever let you out of it's system until they have milked you dry finacially.
I Know!

Judi B 3-02-2007 @ 9:15AM

I know that it is so expensive for a dentist. Also, I needed an extraction and the oral surgeon WOULD NOT do it because of an unpaid TMJ implant balance!
I paid $268.00 for one filling.. I was seeing a dentist to have my teeth all fixed..I had the bleaching, at $50.00 per kit..and cleanings at $80.00 per cleaning..and...to make a long story short, she wanted $23,000.00 in all to do caps, and this and that.. I kept asking each visit how much is this going to cost..even an estimate..they never gave me one. Then, I had my "consult" with her and it cost me $800.00 for 30 minutes. Now, we wonder why people can't take care of their teeth and get coronary problems. They care, about the dollar...not the patient.. oh, and if you can't pay, they are quick to show you the insurance plan they offer..what a joke...And, since they messed my jaw up because of a failed implant NO-ONE want's to work on me...So, I have to lie.

Rob 3-02-2007 @ 9:51AM

AMEN! Laura- Dental IS part of your health! Hey Insurance companies!!?? are you LISTENING????? (1 will pick it up too win business-and they ALL will follow then!)

ANGELA 3-02-2007 @ 9:57AM

I have found myself considering looking for a new job halfway through the year just to have my dental insurance benefits renewed. But it does help to "shop around" because there can be a significant difference in the prices that some dentists charge.

Gina 3-02-2007 @ 9:57AM

I totally agree with Jethro and Judi. It's all about how much they can pocket from you to pay for their mortgage and their child's college education. The more they can do to your teeth unnessarily and get away with, the more happy they are. It's your purse and your mouth that are paying the big price!

Michael Czarkowski, if you read this, please come back to Chicago! This dentist is an artist and a genius and, he cares about your smile. This kind of dentist if few and far between! I miss you, Dr. Czarkowski!

Regina Rosenvaum 3-02-2007 @ 10:14AM

Last time I had a cleaning the hygenist pressed so hard that she cracked a tooth, set up an infection which led to a root canal. The office denied it of course. I went elsewhere but had to pay for her mistake.Thanks but no thanks to agressive treatment.

Donna 3-02-2007 @ 10:19AM

The travisty in dental care is the lack of dental care assistance for the indigent. I have been assisting a young man with multiple medical issues and a mouth full of bad teeth. There is no dental care available unless you have money or insurance. Even then, the charges are astonomical. I agree that if you do not watch your dentist and ask questions, you will receive the most expensive treatment when there are alternatives available. But, the key is you must ask up front and ask for charges up front and then hold them to those charges when they want to bill you more without performing additional care. It is sad today that in both the medical and dental fields there is a lack of concern for the patient. It's become all about how much money can I make today.

Katie Kailing 3-02-2007 @ 10:29AM

Dental "estimate" for 3 crowns, a root canal, 20 (20???) cavities....my teeth are great, my gums excellent, but I did need some work......$30,000.

Oral surgeon to extract pieces of four wisdom teeth and one "real" extraction.............$3,500.

I asked the dentist when dentistry had become so expensive. He replied, "When everybody bought insurance and insurance companies would pay those prices!" Well, I didn't know that and don't have dental insurance.

On one visit, he took one of his torture roller devices and passed over one small bottom tooth and back....$88.00, but he told the billing dept. to give me a break on that because usually it takes more than one pass on a tooth.

I'm still in shock.

Health, food, gas, seems like everyone who can get away with it is a money-grabbing leech!

Katie

ljcoolj 3-02-2007 @ 10:40AM

It boggles me that ya'll have nothing positive to say about dentistry. I have been a full-time dental hygienist for 27 years and yes, I have seen it all. Let me just tell you, I care very much about what I am doing, the general health of my patients and their comfort during procedures. I have two words of brilliant advice for all of you and it is FLOSS DAILY. And if you have not taken proper care of your mouth, then be prepared to pay the price~~whether it be in money or tooth loss. Dentistry is very expensive, I agree. Some of these stories here are outrageous and make me think you are either not giving us all the facts or are confused about what went on.

Gloria 3-02-2007 @ 11:06AM

If you are ever hospitalized, please bring toothbrushes, in the plural. Throw away the toothbrush each time you use it. I have seen hospital workers throw the uncovered toothbrush wherever it is convenient...even in an emesis basis (empty vomit receptacle). I am convinced this negligence of this item contributes to hospital acquired infections.

laura 3-02-2007 @ 11:11AM

To ljcoolj......I wish it was as simple as flossing but that doesn't work for eveyone.

Every time I go, I cringe, not for the pain in my tooth, but for the pain in my pocket.

Chris Adams 3-13-2007 @ 12:32PM

I went to the dentist recently and was told that to fix my problem it would be $3300.00. I asked so how much of this is covered by my insurance. The answer was that's your part. What am I paying the mortage on the building? I am looking to get another opinion asap. I have a hole in my front tooth and they tell me it's cosmetic? To fix that alone they want $1,600.00. So it doesn't matter if you have insurance or not they will stick it to you in one way or another.

stacy 3-28-2007 @ 12:33AM

I am the daughter of a dentist and a dental hygienist and I have never heard stories like these before. Preventative care is SO important. If you are not flossing daily and getting a cleaning once every 6 months, you will pay a far heftier price for your lack of hygiene as you age. Attention paid to dental hygiene from birth through adulthood will likely prevent most of these problems. I've yet to have a cavity. You are going to the wrong dentist if you think all they have in mind is money and not your overall health.

Pamela 3-02-2007 @ 11:30AM

My daughter and I are on Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's All Kids and Families Health Insurance coverage. I have been given a short list of 4 dentists which are in my area, who have said they would be providers on this plan. Well, 2 have denied that they are on the plan when I've called their office to ask if they are taking new patients. (The first thing any dental receptionist asks when you call for the first time to make an appointment for new patients is what insurance you are covered under.) The other two dentists offices listed on the plan said that they have to put us on a 2 week waiting list. They will call back if something opens. It has been 3 weeks since my calls to them. One receptionist even told me that her office is trying to phase out taking patients covered on the All Kids And Families Plan, because the dentists don't make as much money off those patients as they do on regular dental insurance. The local health clinic will only take low income patients who are suffering pain in their mouth and then the dentist only works in the health clinic on Fridays. And there is a 2 week waiting list to get in even then. Frustrating!

Larry 3-02-2007 @ 1:41PM

I floss regularly, get my teeth cleaned every 6 months. I am a nurse and understand this is part of a healthy lifestyle. My dentist does NOT push the most expensive treatment plan - recently talked me out of a porcelein crown in favor of a simple gold crown because I would get longer wear from the gold crown given the tooth and its problems.

Without insurance, it would be expensive to have any major procedure done. All the more important to brush and floss and even pay for that cleaning visit twice a year.

As for a hygenist pushing so hard she cracked a tooth - that was a damaged tooth ready to breakdown.

jeff 3-02-2007 @ 11:46AM

I have suffered all my life with bad teeth and have never known the simple pleasures of enjoying some foods and drinks. I am on disability due to a heart condition I was born with and receive Govt benefits including health insurance but with no dental coverage provided. I have never asked anyone for anything in my life but I am 42 years old now and would really like to have dental implants so I could just eat. If there is a dentist out there reading this and could help me by donating implants please contact me my email address is Jeffsbat1965@aol.com.
Thank you and God bless

Jessie 3-02-2007 @ 11:51AM

When I was growing up my dad couldn't afford the dentist. So I only went about 3 times, it was when I had to. I have always taken care of my teeth (brush,floss,mouthwash) but I still have bad teeth. To top it off, I never grew adult teeth in two places in the front of my mouth. I am now in my 20s and trying to get a healthy smile. I got my cavities fixed about a year ago. Last month one of the teeth I had fixed became abscess, you couldn't see anything wrong with the tooth except in x-rays. I can't afford a $1500 root canal so I had to get it pulled. I have already racked up a huge amount of debt in dental work. I still need to get fake teeth in the two spots in the front where I never had any teeth. Then maybe someday I will be able to smile in front of people.

My goal is to start a fund for children who cannot afford to go to the dentist. I believe that if I would have been able to make regular visits to the dentist I would not have these problems. I need the money to start this fund. I hope that I have a successful career that will enable me to help children with this. Like everyone else, I'm hoping I will win the lottery. Then I could start helping people right now.

Staci 3-02-2007 @ 12:11PM

Rinse your mouth with sea salt. Sounds crazy, but it is a natural bacteria killer. Use grey sea salt easily found on the web or at health food stores. Read up on it, you will be amazed.

Cathy 3-02-2007 @ 12:12PM

I am so sorry to hear the stories that this article triggered. I am a registered dental hygienist and have heard many of the same in my own office.

In my county alone there are about 400 dentists. Out of this great number 28 of them volunteer for the Adult free dental clinic, and some of these only once per year. This clinic is where I met my current employer when I was volunteering. Sadly, hygienists cannot operate in this state unless under a dentists' supervision so we are not able to offer our services due to politics at the health department. However, in quite a few comunities there are community colleges that have dental hygiene programs and are wonderful places to recieve very inexpensive and very good care. Some of these schools also have a dental assisting pogram and the dentist in the hygiene clinic also pulls patients into the assisting clinic for crowns and fillings, etc. These schools are usually very strictly run...the sterile technique is often superior to what is considered standard out in the fiels and the students are checked and re-checked as to the standard of work performed. The cost of these services is usually VERY low ($20 for 4 quadrants of deep cleaning as opposed to $600 - $1000).

Also to the young lady who stated her hygienist pushed so hard on her tooth that she broke it: Teeth are the hardest substance in the body (harder than bone) if that tooth cracked it probably already had an area that was weak and it was going to fail regardless. We get blamed for quite alot of things that, physically, we cannot do or cause.

And to all of those out there that feel they are being taken to the cleaners...steer clear of dental clinics and get dental referrals from trusted friends and families. Dentistry should NEVER be a mystery. If you are not given treatment options (and prices for all these options) it is probably time to change your dentist! You should be working together.