Dental implant marketing has so many messages to share with our communities!
Although we need to continue to talk about the quality of life, no more embarrassment over missing teeth, freedom to dine and laugh without fear, etc., we must learn to talk more about something else, namely … the tremendous physical and emotional HEALTH dangers of missing teeth, especially for seniors.
Seniors NEED to hear what we have to share!
Here’s the full list of the health dangers that missing teeth represent:
- Higher risk of dementia
- Reduced life expectancy
- Social isolation and loneliness/Depression
- Poor self-rated health
- Grief over losing natural teeth
- Periodontal Disease/Oral cancer
- Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. and other life-shortening conditions
Check out our blog posts on the first 6 points.
Fight Dementia! – With Dental Implant Marketing
Increase Life Expectancy! – With Dental Implant Marketing
Fight Deadly Senior Social Isolation! – With Dental Implant Marketing
Help Them Heal! -With Dental Implant Marketing (covers 4th and 5th points)
Ring the Alarm Bells – With Dental Implant Marketing
Cardiovascular Disease and Tooth Loss
Today, we’re going to take a look at the 7th point on the list: cardiovascular disease.
Our dental implant marketing needs to be warning seniors in our communities about the risks that missing teeth pose for increased chances of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.
We’ll also discuss again the important issue of loss of bone density in the jawbone. Although this is not so much a health issue, it is a standing concern for normal appearance, speaking, and eating.
C. Everett Koop, former US surgeon general, famously said, “You can’t be healthy without good oral health.”
Although many people recognize the truth of this in relation to cavities and gingivitis, do they realize that missing teeth are also signs of dangerously poor oral health?
And missing teeth are a problem. 178 million Americans have lost at least one tooth.
According to the CDC, almost 20% of American adults over 65 have lost ALL their teeth and by the time we reach the over-75 bracket, that number climbs to 26%.
Given those numbers, don’t you think that we should be talking more about the dangers of cardiovascular disease in edentulous and partially edentulous patients? (Edentulous means “toothless,” by the way.)
Could we talk more about the loss of jawbone density that people with missing teeth experience?
The answer to both questions is a resounding “YES!”
Talking about the increased danger of cardiovascular disease could help us reach more seniors experiencing tooth loss.
Better dental implant marketing messages like this could both change more people’s lives and fill your calendar with more high-value implant patients!
What is Cardiovascular Disease?
Cardiovascular disease refers to a number of heart conditions: heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve conditions.
Heart disease usually refers to the buildup of plaque in the walls of the arteries. This makes it harder for blood to flow, increasing the dangers of blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.
A heart attack occurs when a blood clot blocks the blood flow to a part of the heart.
Many people survive their first heart attack and resume their normal lives, but a heart attack signals that lifestyle changes are in order.
A stroke is considered to have occurred when a blood vessel feeding part of the brain is blocked. This is usually the result of a blood clot.
The effects of stroke, which include facial drooping, speech problems, and difficulty walking can be temporary or permanent.
Heart failure, or congestive heart failure, refers to ineffective pumping of the heart, rather than actual cessation of the heart’s action. Although the heart continues to work, the blood and oxygen needed by the body are not circulating.
Arrhythmia refers to an abnormal heart rhythm. The type of arrhythmia varies by the individual. The heart can beat too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular manner.
A heart valve problem means that the heart valves are either not opening wide enough to allow the blood to flow through correctly or not closing completely.
Prolapse can also occur when the valve leaflets bulge or prolapse back into the upper heart chamber.
All of these problems add up to make the cardiovascular disease a global health problem and the leading cause of death worldwide!
The World Health Organization estimates that 17.9 million people die annually from cardiovascular disease, which means that it accounts for 31% of all global deaths!
If we can prevent even a few of these deaths by getting our dental implant message out, why aren’t we doing it more?
Save Their Hearts! – With Dental Implant Marketing
Studies have shown that individuals with fewer teeth or no teeth are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those with a full set of teeth.
There are several possible explanations for this:
- Missing teeth can be a sign of gum disease, a chronic infection that causes inflammation and can release harmful bacteria into the bloodstream, contributing to the development of cardiovascular disease.
- Missing teeth can affect a person’s diet and nutrition. Since individuals with missing teeth may have difficulty chewing certain foods, they may be lacking key nutrients that are essential for maintaining cardiovascular health.
A study was conducted by a team of scientists at Tulane University to examine a possible correlation between middle-aged tooth loss (as in teeth lost while middle-aged) and cardiovascular disease.
They conducted their research by examining two previous studies that had been done with thousands of men and women aged 45-69 who reported tooth loss and heart health over a 12- to18-year period.
From their study, the researchers concluded as follows:
- Losing two or more teeth over the studied time period correlated to a 23% higher risk of cardiovascular disease versus those who lost no teeth.
- This risk increase was found to be independent of diet, body weight, exercise frequency, and even the presence or absence of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- The study ended with the conclusion “that among middle-aged adults, a higher number of teeth loss in the recent past may be associated with (a) subsequent risk of coronary heart disease…
Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the end of the story!
Giving them back a full mouthful of teeth with dental implants can reverse that risk and potentially save them from the ravages of cardiovascular disease.
Dental implants are the best option for maintaining the optimal condition of a full set of teeth for people who have lost some or all of their natural ones.
Do your prospective patients know this?
Do they have any idea that the fate of their ticker could rest on whether or not they replace the missing teeth in their mouth?
Jawbone Density Messages for Dental Implant Marketing
Although health concerns like cardiovascular disease is of utmost concern, another important message for seniors are the problem of bone-density loss due to missing teeth as well as the unhealthy dietary changes that usually accompany missing teeth, as was mentioned above.
As you can see, this follows a progression. Tooth loss, which shows as a little bit of jawbone shrinkage, leads to bone loss with its accompanying sagging and loss of facial structure.
Although this takes a little time, seniors need to know this important fact: Jawbones can shrink up to 25% in the FIRST YEAR OF TOOTH LOSS!
And the longer seniors delay implant placement, the higher the chances become of needing bone grafting before implants are even possible.
Here are 5 jawbone density messages to include in your dental implant marketing.
- Loss of even one tooth contributes to loss of jawbone density
- Loss of bone density leads to an uneven jawbone
- Jawbones can shrink up to 25% in the first year of tooth loss.
- Loss of teeth usually means a less healthy diet, increasing concerns about osteoporosis
- The longer they wait, the greater the chance of needing bone grafting becomes.
Conclusion
Not only are dental implants the absolute best solution for replacing teeth in order to preserve jaw bone density and replace dentures, but they also are the best way to preserve the full set of teeth that is necessary for good oral health and, by extension, good overall health.
Dental Growth Partner for Maximum Impact
Would you like help reaching all the people with missing teeth in your community?
Would you like to warn seniors about the dangers of cardiovascular disease in your dental implant marketing?
Consider reaching out to Client Connection Group today. Our powerful educational advertising will SHOW seniors just how much they need dental implants!
Join the Client Connection Group community of satisfied dentists from coast to coast today!