Every time you come to Grand Dental for a regular visit, our doctors will spend part of that time inspecting your smile for gum disease. We do this for two reasons. First, treating and preventing gum disease is an effective way of reducing your potential for large dental problems later on. Second, when left untreated, the effects of gum disease can spread beyond your smile to the rest of your body.
A number of health problems have been linked to gum disease so far (as we mentioned in our last post) including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and pre-term birth, but the one we want to focus on in this post is heart disease.
How exactly can gum disease affect the heart?
Although their exact relationship is still a matter of research, it’s believed that harmful bacteria are able to access the heart through pockets that form between the teeth and gums when gum disease isn’t treated. Which is why periodontal therapy is such a vital service.
At Grand Dental, we offer charting and diagnostic services as well as in-office non-surgical periodontal therapy to help gum disease patients reclaim their oral and overall health. Treating and preventing gum disease isn’t guaranteed to prevent heart disease, but it will help you shore up your overall health, which can benefit your body in myriad ways.
Are you ready to schedule your next regular appointment with our Nichols Hills office? If so, call us today. Dr. Michael Kirk, Dr. Janice Henry, and Dr. Chris Foster at Grand Dental serve patients from all across the greater Oklahoma City area.

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You want a strong, confident smile, but sometimes life can work against you. With time, teeth can decay, become broken, or may be lost completely. That’s why, at
Your oral health will always be important, but aging can make caring for your smile more difficult. For example, patients with arthritis may have difficulty brushing and flossing thoroughly, while others with dry mouth may be at great risk for gum disease and tooth decay (
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Whether you’re going to be a mother for the first time or for the second or third time, those nine months of pregnancy can be exciting and exhausting in equal measure. For one thing, you have a nursery to decorate. For another, there are all those doctor’s appointments to keep up with. And if all that isn’t enough, you and your loved one will have a million other things to keep in mind as well.
If someone asked you why brushing is important, you probably wouldn’t say, “Because my oral health can have an effect on my heart,” or “Because I’m diabetic,” or even, “Because we just learned we’re expecting!”
If you want to look younger, what solution comes immediately to mind? Chances are it’s not going to be