Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is Strongly Correlated with Cardiovascular Diseases

Gum disease starts when bad bugs build up in your mouth and the gums become red, swollen and bleed when they are brushed and flossed. This is one if obvious indications of gum disease.

Urologists often refer men with ED to the dentist, but it rarely works the other way around. In our office we often say that periodontal disease negatively affects your heart kidney and liver.

The American Academy of Periodontology is careful to note that chronic gum disease is generally correlated with a number of chronic illnesses (e.g., heart disease, prostate cancer and impotence). And although impotence and erectile dysfunction are often used interchangeably, ED is more common, can be circumstantial (nerves with a new partner, for instance), and doesn’t necessarily occur all the time. Impotence, on the other hand, is rarer, constant and can result in a lack of desire to have sex, along with an inability to get an erection. Researchers have determined that periodontal disease causes ED in humans based on studying penis function in rats. (Source: The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2011)

We often warn patients that gum disease increases their risk of heart disease and diabetes.

In fairness, too, that is a kind of roundabout way of talking about ED. After all, erections are a very literal extension of cardiovascular health. Simply put, the blood in an erection has to come from somewhere, and when it’s not filling up the way should, it could be a sign of a more serious underlying issue.

When your body responds to this by attacking these bad bugs, it breaks down the disease but the gums pull away from the teeth. This process occurs gradually over years and exposes the tooth roots and leads to a toothy smile.

If it continues to spread teeth can become infected and eventually fall out. This is the worse obvious side effect of chronic gum disease.

If you are young and healthy, you can get away without brushing and flossing regularly. As we age, our immune system is not as strong. Add heart disease, diabetes and periodontal disease to the mix and your blood flow is slowed down.

If you know someone, “wink, wink” with erectile dysfunction, and they have not had a periodontal exam, now would be a good time.