“When we think of the benefits of looking after our oral health, it’s fillings and root canals which normally spring to mind, but the benefits extend much wider than your smile,” GP Doctor Sarah Jarvis said.
Poor oral health is linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and heart, she explained.
“This may be because bacteria in inflamed gums can travel to blood vessels elsewhere in the body; or because inflammation in the gum triggers damaging inflammation in the blood vessels of the heart and brain.”
Strokes, which kill roughly 38,000 Brits a year, occur when the blood supply to parts of the brain becomes restricted.
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