Teeth

[atrialfib]

Why has this never been highlighted,I have had crowns on my teeth for years and they need replacing never ever get round to it, my gums are receeding badley, could this really be the cause of my AF.if it is I think it's terrible that doctors don't mention this.

[CaroleF]

My understanding is that there is a link between oral and heart health, though I don't understand it enough to be able to explain it. I'm not sure that it's a direct cause of AF, but rather may be a contributory factor.

At any rate, if you have gum disease then it would be wise to pay a visit to the dentist. I know that there's at least one person here who has recently reported improvements in AF after some dental treatment.

I agree that Drs should mention this; no one has ever said anything to me either.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to CaroleF]

One big problem in UK is that NHS dentistry does nothing for gum health. When I moved and had to go privately I was put on three monthly hygiene visit due to the condition my gums were in and the dentist told me it was nothing I could have changed. .

[jennydog]

My dentist went into overdrive when I developed very mild gum disease. The connection with heart problems has been publicised recently.

Everyone's gums receed with age hence the term " long in the tooth."

[seasider18 in reply to jennydog]

Some drugs like Verapamil can cause gums to recede.

[BobD Volunteer]

Seems to have been mentioned here quite a lot. I know about nine years ago I warned about it as here was a chap in the bed opposite me with endocaraditis resulting from a botched wisdom tooth extraction. Heart health can be seriously affected by mouth bacteria from poor dental hygiene.

Not sure there is a direct long with AF other then general.

[jeanjeannie50]

Please read my post re my AF being cured by having a tooth extracted.:

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Jean

[CDreamer]

I thought it had been well publicized - I certainly knew about and had treatment long before I developed AF - that was over 20 years ago.

I do still have occasional inflammation in my gums. I too have hygiene appointments every 4 months which catch things before they develop.

[ILowe]

My endocarditis led to my mitral valve needing replacement. The probable cause was an infection that had got in through a crack in a tooth. A metallic mitral valve predisposes to AF.

Endocarditis is usually difficult to detect. It is a killer unless treated, therefore they adopt the approach: if in doubt, treat. Mine was not detected until after the mitral valve surgery.

Later, I cracked a tooth while on holiday. A&E refused to treat me. At that point I should have gone private. I eventually got it patched, but infection had intruded. Six months later a gum boil signaled an infection at the root of a tooth. It took a surgeon to treat that. I was fortunate I did not get endocarditis again.

You can go a long way to treat gum disease yourself. I once shortened by a half the time taken to do a below the gumline scrape, from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, by faithful self treating for 8 weeks. Use a new soft brush, change every 3 months, and floss daily. Use an electric toothbrush such as Braun -- a gums specialist taught me that. Use brossettes for the cracks. Floss daily. Be aggressive at the beginning even to the point of bleeding, since bleeding flushes out those pockets. Use mouthwash sparingly, since it kills good cells as well as bad. What I do is put some, concentrated version, on some cotton wool and attack only the problem site for a few minutes.

The other trick is to use hydrogen peroxide, mouthwash strength. Out of favour, maybe. It is particularly good at attacking food caught in the cracks.

[Bb53 in reply to ILowe]

Fantastic Post!!😊