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Periodontal disease is a disease of inflammation.
The inflamed gums lead to circulating products of
the inflammatory process within the blood stream.
We can measure the circulating products of inflammation
with the blood stream by measuring the C-reactive
protein, or CRP, levels in the blood. It is known that periodontal
treatment causes CRP levels to decline.
The decline of the CRP levels can
give us information about the effectiveness of periodontal
treatments. This is particularly the case with the
use of medications for the treatment of gum disease,
as we often cannot see the effect on the gums for
a long time, if at all. In these cases it may take
years of following the case with x-rays before we
can say with certainty that bone deterioration has
been arrested. CRP levels can give
us some idea about the effectiveness of our treatments
much earlier.
Interestingly,CRP levels are the
primary measure of susceptibility to atherosclerotic
heart disease used by cardiologists. It is known
that heart disease occurs at a much higher frequency
in sufferers of periodontal disease than in the general
population, although the exact nature of this relationship
is not that well understood.
Don’t take a chance if you suffer from periodontal
disease. Have your CRP levels checked
today.
Contact us today.
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