“Did you brush your teeth today ??”
I think you will ask this question to yourself & your family daily.
When you know that bad oral hygiene will drive you to heart disease, many of us may change his opinion.
Simply, people who don’t brush their teeth regularly will start with inflammation of their gums “Gingivitis“.
If this situation continues, a chronic inflammation occurs “Periodontal Disease“ with a bleeding gum.
Bleeding gum is a great risk factor, as it provides an entry to the blood stream for 700 different types of bacteria.
Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis are two common infecting agents.
After they reach the blood stream, they bind with blood platelets, this creates two problems:
First: If we use an oral antibiotic to kill oral bacteria thus preventing them from reaching the blood stream, by time bacteria become resistant.
Second: The binding of bacteria with platelets encases them & shields bacteria from our immune system till they reach the heart causing heart diseases.
So, if we prevent the binding between bacteria & platelets, this will help our immune syst
em kill bacteria & protect our heart.
“We are currently in the process of identifying the exact site at which the bacteria stick to the platelets” said Professor Howard Jenkinson. “Once this is identified we will design a new drug to prevent this interaction.”
Source: Bristol University news.
Image credits: Periodontal Disease
Image credits: Professor Howard Jenkinson
Tags: bleeding gum, Gingivitis, Heart Attack, Periodontal Disease, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus sanguinis
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and I thought it was just tooth decay we need to watch out for
so are there any factors that can increase the risk of this? maybe something like artificial heart valves or do we all need to be aware??
I think tooth decay is the final step…
Once bleeding occur, the person will be in a high risk
So, everyone should take care 🙂
I am glad that more people are learning the connection between good oral health and good general health.
Don’t forget that artificial joints are also a target for bacteria once it enters the blood stream.
Greg, RDH