How Fit Are You, Really? How Dental Health Contributes to Cardiac Health.

But what if you do brush your teeth? Are you immune?

“Unfortunately, no. Even if you brush well, there are certain risk factors that make you more prone to this problem:
1. Decay. Some people are prone to decay due to anatomical reasons, and a “hidden” cavity can progress into the blood supply of the tooth, the pulp, without you realising. After all, you can only brush what you can reach with your toothbrush.
2. Periodontal pockets. I often refer to these as the “back of the jeans pockets” that surround each tooth. For various reasons some people don’t have tight pockets around their teeth. These pockets often measure deep, are inflamed, loose, swollen and easily bleed. It could be that some build-up that has attached itself to the tooth’s root surfaces within the pockets. With time the build-up layers on, and becomes destructive, dissolving away jaw and gum tissue. This is called periodontal disease, and can directly lead to bacteria in the bloodstream.”
3. Wisdom teeth. The problem could be that there isn’t enough room for wisdom teeth to come through completely, so the tooth is sub-erupted. This is the case with a lot of wisdom teeth we see, so that the gum grows over it, and people get a “pseudo-pocket”. The bacteria then gets into the bloodstream this way, causing a low-grade infection and draining your immune system. Bacteria can even travel to joints, your brain and heart, causing a lot of problems.”