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It’s Time to Take the Mouth-Body Connection® to Heart

What is the Mouth-Body Connection®? It is the association between bacteria in the mouth and a panoply of health issues, from heart disease to cancer to Alzheimer's.

What does the Mouth-Body Connection mean to you? It could mean a new lease on life – if you take the connection to heart.

Recently, one of my colleagues, a dental hygienist at a Smile Generation®trusted dental office, noticed her patient had elevated blood pressure. What’s more, she knew that his oral health issues put him at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

She told her patient to seek medical care right away. Just a few days later, he began sweating profusely and experiencing chest pain. Remembering his conversation with his dental hygienist, he drove himself to the ER, where he received life-saving medical intervention for what could have been a fatal cardiac event.

I am immensely proud of my colleague. And I’m also impressed by her patient. By taking care of his oral health, identifying his risk factors and listening to his Mouth-Body Connection, he took charge of his whole-body health. He is alive and well today and, I have to assume, smiling.

He is not alone. All over the country, dentists and their patients are having important conversations about physical and oral health. You can too. And you may end up with a healthier smile and a whole lot more.

Until next time,

Dr. Carolyn Ghazal, DDS