Hold onto those pearly whites as long as you can, even if they’re no longer pieces of art.
A study done by the American Heart Association has linked coronary heart disease with middle-aged tooth loss. Experts say that if you’ve parted ways with two or more teeth by the time you’ve reached your 45 birthday, it’s a good indication that your cardiovascular health could also be in jeopardy.
What if you lost your teeth in a bar brawl? Or by making friends with that dang pine tree on the ski slopes last year?
Strangely enough, the study results seem to indicate this doesn’t make a difference.
“The increased risk occurred regardless of reported diet quality, physical activity, body weight and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes,” researchers indicated.
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When it came to adults who still had 25 to 32 of their natural teeth, those who lost two or more during the study had a 23 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to those who kept their chompers.
It seems hard to fathom that individuals leading an otherwise healthy lifestyle would experience an increased risk of heart problems if a few of their teeth were knocked out. As the study points out, however, almost all tooth loss that occurs in middle age happens due to inflammation in the body (presumably in the gums).
Knocking your teeth out is something the average person only does in childhood, apparently.
Curious for more? The study was a collaborative research effort between Tulane University School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. You can find more information on it by clicking here.
Photo credits: Alexey Androsov/Shutterstock.com
