Q: I’m planning to have a checkup and teeth cleaning for the first time in 6 years. My gums are tender, and I’ve heard that dental problems can affect my heart. Is that true? If it is, how can I prevent it?
-- Jill, Manassas, VA

A: First of all, as soon as you finish reading this, call your dentist! Don’t put it off for another day. You need to keep gum disease from taking root, for your teeth and for your heart.

Second, kudos to you for realizing that gum problems can turn into heart trouble. Many people don’t know that dental plaque -- the sticky mixture of bacteria, saliva, and 3-day-old cauliflower that coats your teeth -- not only can cause gum disease (gingivitis) but also can contribute to artery-clogging plaque. And that disrupts blood flow, which can lead to all kinds of problems, from heart attacks to erectile dysfunction. What’s the link? Dental plaque triggers an immune reaction that makes plaque build up in your arteries. Otherwise, these two plaques have nothing in common, but that’s enough.

So get your dentist to clean your teeth and gums right away, and then start flossing to keep sticky plaque from accumulating and making your RealAge up to 3.7 years older.

Q: Last spring, my 66-year-old dad died suddenly from a massive heart attack. He had been feeling great, except for bad heartburn that day. Could it have been a warning?
-- Tom, Seattle, WA

A: Maybe. However, half of all people who have heart attacks never feel a symptom -- or at least nothing they recognize as a symptom. Also, discomfort caused by a brewing heart attack can come and go; if it goes, it’s easy to assume the discomfort was just heartburn or muscle pain or the flu coming on. Symptoms, when they occur, usually include one or more of these:

· Having chest pain or aches that feel like pressure, fullness, or squeezing
· Feeling discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, stomach, or either arm
· Becoming short of breath
· Breaking out in a cold sweat
· Feeling nauseous
· Becoming very tired suddenly, without being short on sleep

The reason heart attack signs can be so unpredictable is that the heart itself doesn’t feel pain. However, sometimes nerves from a heart in trouble short-circuit nerves connected to other areas -- say, the chest or an arm -- which do hurt. But that doesn’t always happen. And that’s why many people never see a heart attack coming.

Q: I’m a healthy, active 55-year-old woman. I don’t smoke or eat meat, but my job is pretty stressful. Also, my mother had a heart attack when she was 51, and her mom died of a stroke at 43. Should I be worried about heart disease?
>-- Kathryn, Ogden, UT

A: The genes you inherited are less important than the jeans it sounds like you’re wearing out by staying active. Only about 25% of the risk of heart disease is genetic, and you have more control over even those worrisome bits of DNA than you may think.

While you can’t choose your parents, you can choose to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains -- and avoid saturated and trans fats, simple sugars and syrups. That’s at least as important as your family tree. So is staying physically active.

However, don’t overlook the damaging impact of stress. Daily exercise helps that too -- it’s one of life’s greatest tension relievers -- but it’s also good to have a stress-buster you can do on the fly when pressure mounts. Here’s one we like:

Lie down if you can. If not, just sit quietly. Tightly clench the muscles in your feet, and then slowly release them. Do this squeeze-release move with different muscle groups, working up your body and doing one area at a time -- legs, stomach, back, arms, neck, and head. When you’re done, simply relax, breathing slowly and deeply, for a few minutes. There, that’s better.