Nearly half of all Americans age 30 and older have some form of gum disease; in people 65 and older, 70% have some degree of periodontal disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Left untreated, periodontitis can cause tooth loss, painful chewing and may increase the risk of various conditions.

While not definitive, the links between gum disease and diabetes, at-risk pregnancy, heart disease and stroke have been so consistent that some insurers offer extra preventive periodontal care at little or no cost to people with those conditions.

Treating periodontitis in such patients resulted in fewer hospitalizations and lower medical costs than those who did not receive follow-up periodontal care, according to an analysis of dental insurance claims published in 2014 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

For example, over the study period, the average annual cost of medical care for Type 2 diabetics with untreated periodontal disease was $7,056; for diabetics with treated periodontal disease, the average was $4,216 — a 40% savings, with 40% fewer hospital admissions. Cerebral vascular disease patients whose gum disease was treated saw a 41% cost savings and 21% fewer hospital admissions. For coronary artery disease, the cost savings was 11%, with nearly 30% fewer hospital stays. The study also included rheumatoid arthritis patients, for whom no gum disease treatment effects were found.

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