The Link between Gum Disease and Arthritis Columbia SC

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then the mouth is the portal to our health. Oral conditions are associated with general health problems and may be an early indicator that you have another disease or disorder lurking in your body. The medical community has clearly established a link between periodontal disease--or periodontitis--and other diseases, especially coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's and chronic inflammatory conditions. Periodontitis is a disease of the tissues and structures that surround our teeth. It's the technical term for gum disease.

Drs. Miller and Flynn Optometry
(803) 386-8994
2757 Laurel St
Columbia, SC
Midlands Veterinary Practice
(803) 750-7387
124 Stonemark Ln
Columbia, SC
James H Altieri, MD
(803) 419-4949
229 Longtown Rd
Columbia, SC
HealthSource of Lexington
(803) 399-0922
5225 Sunset Blvd Suite#B
Lexington, SC
Nehal T DeSai
(803) 779-3378
1750 Laurel St
Columbia, SC
HealthSource of Columbia
(803) 252-0108
1811 Bull St
Columbia, SC
Dowdy Rudolph Chiropractic
(803) 386-9995
1408 Elmwood Ave
Columbia, SC
Gregg Animal Hospital
(803) 736-0006
8309 Two Notch Rd
Columbia, SC
HealthSource of Irmo
(803) 781-4092
7453 Irmo Dr
Irmo, SC
Michael T Yim
(803) 779-1420
1910 Gregg St
Columbia, SC
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The Link between Gum Disease and Arthritis

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then the mouth is the portal to our health. Oral conditions are associated with general health problems and may be an early indicator that you have another disease or disorder lurking in your body.

The medical community has clearly established a link between periodontal disease--or periodontitis--and other diseases, especially coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's and chronic inflammatory conditions. Periodontitis is a disease of the tissues and structures that surround our teeth. It's the technical term for gum disease.

Arthritis and periodontal disease are similar. Both are chronic inflammatory conditions. Arthritis wreaks havoc on the cartilage and connective tissue in joints, destroying bones, wearing away at our bone density, and making our bones fragile and vulnerable to fracture.

Periodontitis is persistent inflammation in the gums. Medical experts suspect toxins from bacterial infections cause this inflammation. It can destroy the soft and hard tissues in the mouth, reducing the connective tissue that attaches the root of a tooth to the jawbone--called periodontal attachment loss.

Evidence suggests that periodontal disease may initiate and maintain the autoimmune inflammatory response in Rheumatoid Arthritis and is therefore a risk factor we can influence. Symptoms of periodontal disease should prompt physicians to screen patients for Rheumatoid Arthritis and other disorders.

The link between the two diseases goes both ways. Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis may also be at increased risk for developing periodontal disease. The prevalence of periodontal disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients is at least twice the incidence found in the general population...

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