Here at Smile Blue Ridge, our goal is to stay at the forefront of dentistry as new information becomes available. There is evidence that points to gum disease as a causative factor for increasing inflammation in the body. Inflammation leads to high risk for many systemic illnesses such as: rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, complications during pregnancy, and many others.
There is evidence that suggests that if someone already has systemic illness, having gum disease can increase complications associated with their illness. For example, if a person with rheumatoid arthritis also has gum disease, complications with the arthritis will likely occur. The good news is that if the same patient has the gum disease treated properly, the likelihood of complications may be reduced greatly.
FACT: Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis are 8 times more likely to have gum disease than a patient without.
