It is widely accepted I understand that any mouth infection/bleeding can (if you are unlucky!) carry to the heart and potentially cause AF. So all AFers should as a matter of course double down on dental hygiene.
Just back from my dentist today, who has identified a possible leaking root filling and I am left wondering whether my increased and changed pattern of AF this year after being in remission for 10+ years is connected.
Has anybody had a similar experience or can shed any light on this area? If it could be the cause it would certainly encourage me to bite the bullet early and have the root cleaned and refilled..... wallet £1K lighter 😖.
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I must say that the dentist is my 'extravagance' on account of Afand heart matters generally.I recently had filling removed..an old one.. and a replaement to the tune of £275.But having said that my teeth are in pretty good nick for a very old un.
Dental hygiene is really important so to answer your question - YES - get it done ASAP and take out a dental plan. I just had replacement root canal very expertly done by the specialist my dental surgery brings in. Dentistry is expensive and I don’t know what people do if thy haven’t the ready cash because even with a dental plan it’s expensive but looking at the advances in the last 50 years since my last root canal, all I can say is that it was also a LOT less traumatic!
Thanks CDreamer . My young dentist seemed a tad unsure whether that was definitely the problem or whether it was a fracture. So I think I will get a 3D X-ray done to see if that confirms the situation. Will also look at Denplan as I have several teeth root filled and understand they have a habit of failing!
Root filling weakens the tooth, causing it to get brittle over time. Had this happen to me and the tooth split in half about 5 years later.My understanding is that these teeth need to be crowned fairly quickly after root canal work.
With Denplan, you are covered for the crown and just have to pay the lab fee but implants are not covered if you lose a tooth.
You can pay extra for implant cover but it only applies to injuries from a blow to the mouth.
I'm lucky that we have a very good nhs service around here.I would think a connection is quite likely and in any case mercury going into the system isn't ideal.
I have similar concerns, but no sadly answers. My paroxysmal AF events have noticeably increased in frequency lately, and this coincided with the news from my dentist that my "gum disease" had also spiked. I am now undergoing a 2 stage "deep clean".
However, my obvious question is whether both events are symptoms of a hidden underlying increase in my inflammation level. My NHS dentist was no help in answering my concerns or where to take them. And I haven't yet located any change in my diet or habits that might have led to an increase in underlying inflammation.🤔 Only perhaps the lessening exercise I now get as my polio damaged legs noticeably reduce my mobility. I suppose there are blood tests, but organising these outside my GP agreed yearly cycle, and more, getting my GP to authorise such speculative tests, seems a task too far.
And if I obtained private blood tests, which would be best for measuring an increase in hidden inflammation? Is it the CRP test ? or the HS(high sensitivity) CRP test? or some other available test? I would appreciate feedback from Forum members re my blood test queries. Thanks.
I would also appreciate anything members can add as I am due for annual GP surgery bloods next month. I will also go into a local private clinic just opened in our local town and enquire about inflammation tests.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a study as to the connection between someone with rotten dental disease and afib occurance? Incidentally, recently I went to the dentist, and in part because of afib I have really cleaned up my diet, and my dentist has said that my gums, etc., have really improved (lack of sugar and gluten), and since I began my reformation I have had no afib. As you know, everything in our bodies is connected.
From what I have read dental hygiene and diet is probably relevant to AF and I have certainly improved mine from a poor level when AF first happened. A tad late as I think I have had over the last 20 yrs at least 5 root fillings, which themselves are not ideal for health.
My advice to any new AFers make sure you maximise care in this area. No significant side effects and a lot to gain.
Are "root fillings" what we call "root canals"? I wonder if it is possible to have those removed? Easy for me to say, of course. But many people here in the United States say never to get mercury in your mouth, if possible. I have a friend here who says, "it may be late, but never too late." I'm 63 and most people in the United States, by that time, have had a lot of mercury put in their mouths. And of course fillings can be replaced with something less harmful. Thanks.
The problem with mercury removal is to avoid causing more harm when drilling out the mercury, inhaled dust and bits swallowed. I had it done by someone who claimed to be a specialist but was not adequate. If memory serves as was 10 years ago she had some sort of dust extraction going on and gave me a charcoal drink before. I maybe should have gone to somebody near/in Birmingham UK (sorry forgotten the name) that my London Naturopath suggested.
Leaking root filling, on the side of the tooth would not cause an issue with AFib , however if it was a failed root canal then you could end up with an infection that would need to be treated with antibiotics
Poor dental hygiene can cause a myriad of problems with the heart infection endocarditis being the big one, which can lead to valve replacement. Healthy gums don’t bleed, if you see bleeding brush and floss even more, everyday we get bacteria in our mouths, if you don’t get rid of it, your gums will be inflamed and will bleed. Petiole saw my gums bleed when I floss, if you do it everyday your gums should not bleed, even on Eliquis. Your heart will be happy
Further to my Reply above re possible hidden inflammation as the cause of my symptoms, and in the light of later Replies of others, I wanted to add an addendum.
Several years ago when my paroxysmal AF was diagnosed, a Vitamin D deficiency was also discovered. There followed a period of supplementation to correct this deficiency, and the frequency of my AF events subsequently decreased noticeably (see my Bio for details). So, when my NHS dentist later commented on the noticeably improved state of my "gum disease" (gum inflammation), I thought it reasonable to suggest to her that this improvement could well have been the result of the recent rectification of my Vitamin D deficiency.
But the recent concurrent symptoms of (i) increased AF frequency, and, (ii) a spike in my gum disease, has raised new concerns about the possibility of an increase in a hidden inflammation level as the source of both of my symptoms. As my Vit D deficiency is now long resolved and my daily dose of D3+K2 has been unchanged for a year or so now, this previous deficiency cannot be a causative factor in my current symptoms.
But, which blood tests might be appropriate and available to test for the hidden inflammation that is my current main suspect?🤔 If anyone can advise, please do.
AF, and hidden inflammation too, really are confounding buggers, and won't stay stationary long enough for me to "hit" either with my pea-brain sized "thought" hammer.😄
I've got a mouthful of silver amalgam fillings (with mercury), broken teeth, all that. The New York Times on September 4 of this year published an article on mercury-based fillings and found no evidence that the trace amounts of mercury released by fillings are harmful to your health. Just make sure to take care of any spots on your gums that are painful when you floss, I have heard of pinpoint gum infections leading to heart infections.
"Silver" fillings sounds so innocuous, but I remember them being called "amalgam" fillings ...
Dental amalgam, sometimes called a “silver-filling” due to its appearance, is a mixture of mercury, silver, copper, tin and zinc used to fill cavities in teeth. Dental amalgam is approximately half (50%) mercury, by weight.
... and "50% mercury" fillings doesn't sound so innocuous.🤔
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