{"id":155,"date":"2024-02-09T05:36:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T05:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/?p=155"},"modified":"2024-03-27T05:36:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T05:36:58","slug":"why-dentists-check-blood-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/09\/why-dentists-check-blood-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Teeth, The Gums, The Heart: Why Dentists Check Blood Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Patient<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, it seems like people forget that dentists are doctors. That might sound a little bit strange, but often patients treat their dentists like they\u2019re just mechanics for their teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This generates a little bit of surprise when dentists do something that seemingly falls outside the purview of the teeth. For example, you might not really know why dentists tend to check their patients\u2019 blood pressure<\/a> at regular checkups. Here\u2019s why that actually is, as well as a little bit more information about the hidden connection between the heart and the teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Does My Dentist Take My Blood Pressure?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two primary reasons why your dentist would be interested in your blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saving Lives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first is simple: dentists, like any other doctor, are interested in your health. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America, with stroke following not far behind. High blood pressure is an indicator for each of these conditions, so any excuse to check for it is a good one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gum Disease and Heart Health<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The latter reason is specific to dentists; there are actually some very interesting connections between what\u2019s happening to your teeth and your cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, there\u2019s emerging evidence that gum disease greatly increases your risk of developing heart disease. Studies have shown a strong correlation between the two, and that gum disease treatment correspondingly mitigates this risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may sound surprising, but the connection is so well established that the American Heart Association had formally recognized it. While the exact reason isn\u2019t known, it\u2019s believed that bacteria from the gums can seep into the bloodstream, where they form plaque deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combatting Gum Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Know that you know this information you\u2019re likely interested in learning a little bit more about how you can keep gum disease at bay. Thankfully, it isn\u2019t anything special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committing to daily dental hygiene can do a lot to help you, as can being judicious about how much sugar you\u2019re consuming. Finally, you should attend biannual preventive appointments, giving your dentist an opportunity to clean up any residual plaque deposits you could be dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Saba K. Abernethy has an intense passion for dentistry. Not only is she fascinated by the subject of her work, she also loves being able to share her extensive expertise with her patients so that they can truly start to love their smile as well. Dr. Abernathy received her dental degree from the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. For her dedication to her continuing education she has been awarded Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry, an accomplishment earned by less than 6% of dentist in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any questions about a regular checkup, we can be reached at our website<\/a> or by phone at (401) 333-2700.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, it seems like people forget that dentists are doctors. That might sound a little bit strange, but often patients treat their dentists like they\u2019re just mechanics for their teeth. This generates a little bit of surprise when dentists do something that seemingly falls outside the purview of the teeth. For example, you might not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondhilldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}