Flossing, Heart Disease, and Diabetes
I went in to the dentist this morning for a cleaning for the first time since before I had my root canal twenty years ago. My teeth are great, but my gums around my molars began bleeding easily. This is when the dental hygienist gave me some shocking news. Ninety-nine percent of people with heart disease and diabetes have bleeding gums and it's not a coincidence.
Apparently when your gums bleed, the bacteria that causes plaque can get carried into your bloodstream where they can begin causing plaque in your heart. Scary thought. From what she told me, this has only recently been proven to be a fact. I should have asked for more information about her source, but if this is true, flossing has just become a whole lot more important. If anyone has any more information on this, please post it and share the info.
Apparently when your gums bleed, the bacteria that causes plaque can get carried into your bloodstream where they can begin causing plaque in your heart. Scary thought. From what she told me, this has only recently been proven to be a fact. I should have asked for more information about her source, but if this is true, flossing has just become a whole lot more important. If anyone has any more information on this, please post it and share the info.
posted by moluv at 10:23 AM
3 Comments:
Hmm...ok that plaque in your teeth being the same as the plaque in your heart is a bit farfetched. Here's an article on what's really happening. Bleeding gums can be an indication of diabetes (poor blood flow to the mouth, high sugar levels in saliva). People who control their diabetes, can control gum disease.
But the link between the diseases may be the lack of concern that people have in taking care of their bodies.
Although there is a high correlation between people with diabetes being more at risk of getting periodontal disease here are a couple of articles that show the reverse.
This article references a study that discusses the reverse cause and effect; people with periodontal disease are at higher risk of getting diabetes.
This second article discusses how periodontal disease can also be a cause of heart disease.
Scary stuff. My immediate reaction when I heard this was the same. "She [my dental hygienist] probably meant that the poor overall personal hygiene that can lead to diabetes can also lead to gengivitis and other more serious gum disease issues." Apparently, she was right.
Oops. Here's one more. It's probably the most informative link.
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