Dr. Bradley Bale has been on the cutting edge of heart health for decades. I’m excited to talk with him because this is such an important topic for new and established dentists. There is evidence that oral health, heart health, and overall health are not only related, but can be used as tools for diagnosis and treatment. Dentists are in a unique position to be at the front lines of patient health, and Dr. Bradley Bale is here to break it down for us. Dr. Bale is a medical doctor and he and Dr. Amy Doneen are the founders of The BaleDoneen Method. They are also co-authors of Beat the Heart Attack Gene. 

What is so exciting is that there is solid scientific evidence that shows that oral health is a sign of heart health, brain health, and more. This information can also be used to educate your patients and team about the important work you are doing by saving lives through early detection of disease. Treatment can prevent the occurence of heart attack, stroke and more. Dr. Bale shares how he got involved in this field and how important it is for him to help his patients by saving lives. He also shares an exciting new program that he’s introduced to help all of us assess our arterial health, because heart attacks and strokes are preventable. 

Show Notes

[02:20] Dr. Bradley Bale is a medical doctor. When he was in family practice, he would see his patients have strokes and heart attacks.

[03:10] Dr. Bale knew Dr. Paul Shields who had one of the first pieces of equipment that could identify coronary calcification. It was called electron beam tomography. 

[03:39] Dr. Bale used CT scans to look for signs of disease in his patients. Dr. Shields recommended treating calcification before a heart attack.

[04:01] The patients who took the test and received the treatment didn't have heart attacks and strokes. The thought of inflammation being the cause of heart attacks was just beginning to evolve in the early 1990s.

[04:51] He started working with Dr. Amy Doneen around the year 2000. Dr. Doneen did her thesis paper on Dr. Bale's coronary data.

[05:37] Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen wrote the book Beat the Heart Attack Gene. 

[05:57] The book has become a national bestseller. It's focuses on the heart attack and stroke prevention care that Dr. Bale and Dr. Doneen give. It also has a section that focuses on oral health. 

[06:23] They have a new book coming out at the end of this year. It's about how their care reaches way beyond preventing heart attacks and strokes. Their patients also have an extremely low risk of dementia, Alzheimer's, heart failure, kidney failure, and ED.

[08:15] There is a recent correlation with Alzheimers and gingivitis. If you want to have good health, it starts with a healthy mouth.

[09:18] Dr. Bale's grandfather was a dentist and his oldest son is an oral surgeon. There's a ton of evidence between the health of gums and teeth and risk for heart attack and stroke.

[10:17] They now have evidence that show that high-risk periodontal pathogens are actually a cause of heart disease.

[11:23] Living at a low altitude was one of the number one ranked reasons for being at risk for heart disease. Number two is oral health. 

[12:41] Number three was skipping breakfast, and number four was having more than two to three drinks a day. 

[14:04] Dr. Bale shares a story about a patient who had disease in his arteries and high inflammatory markers. Without seeing the patient, Dr. Bale knew he had an infected tooth. It turned out Dr. Bale was right. After dental treatment, his markers dropped down to almost normal.

[19:10] Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death and disability. It's also occurring in younger people. It's critical to maintain the wellness of the gums and teeth.

[19:56] Dentists need to educate their entire team, so that they realize that they are actually saving lives. This is a valuable service that requires reaching beyond the standard of care.

[22:48] People see dentists much more frequently than...