His death is a wake-up call for thousands of boomer age men who think they are infallible.

Warning signs

Tim Russert was diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, (narrowing in the blood vessels that fed his heart). His physician reported on CNN it was controlled by medication and exercise.

How a heart attack occurs is well documented. When a plaque becomes inflamed and bursts, blood clots and debris travel and lodge in arteries supplying the heart. Standard diagnostic tests don't reveal these inflamed cholesterol deposits or plaques.

Over the last few years, Harvard researcher Paul Ridker have shown that testing for a chemical signal of inflammation, called C-reactive protein, or CRP, can add predictive power.

This is where your oral heart becomes an important indicator of your heart attack risk.

Recent studies show the same bacteria found in gum disease is also present in the plaque which causes arteries to block, leading to heart attack. All stages of gum disease from the initial gingivitis to the advanced periodontitis, are accompanied by inflammation.

Making positive changes

Eating well, not smoking, exercising regularly are all important. These lifestyle improvements must be made permanent, and not through a program of “I’ll start Monday” that never happens. To reduce the odds of a heart attack, you must also consider the health of your mouth, specially gum disease in order to reduce your risk factors.

A permanent change must include at least twice yearly visits with your dentist. Now that we know gum disease is related directly to heart disease, not practicing daily prevention through home oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups could be a fatal mistake.