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What Your Gums Are Telling You

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You might not have trouble thinking of healthy gums as the foundation for healthy teeth. But did you know that diseased gums are emerging as one of the leading early warning indicators for heart disease and other illnesses?

The American Academy of Periodontology recently found that people with periodontal disease are 2.7 times as likely to suffer a heart attack than those with healthy gums. "Allowing for factors such as age, sex, weight, cholesterol, and high blood pressure, as well as diabetes and insulin use," explained the researcher, "we found that among the sample population under age 60, gum disease was an even more important risk factor for cardiovascular disease than was high blood pressure." It appears that the bacteria associated with gum disease can actually enter your bloodstream and affect your health.

That's why it's important to know what healthy gums should look like. Gums in prime condition are light pink in color (darker for people with darker complexions), are stippled like the surface of an orange, are not tender or swollen, and don't bleed when brushing or flossing.

And the best preventive maintenance? The advice you've heard most of your life: brush daily, floss frequently and don't neglect those regular dental visits. You can also help with supplements like Vitamins A, C and E, and calcium.

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Dr. Mark Asks some important questions of interest to Missoula residents - Chiropractor Missoula Dr. Mark Asks...

What are the two things drugs do?
Drugs can either speed up (laxatives, amphetamines, caffeine) a bodily process, or slow down (stomach antacids, sleep aids, antihistamines, muscle relaxers) a bodily process. Chiropractic care can produce the same results, but relies on the intelligence of the body. Chiropractors trust your body. Do you?
Is a muscle spasm a cause or an effect?
With the knee-jerk use of muscle relaxers, you'd think it was a cause. But it's an effect. Chiropractors know that bones don't move unless muscles move them. And muscles don't contract unless commanded by the nervous system. That's why your nervous system is the focus of our Missoula chiropractic practice.