You know you need to take good care of your teeth. You know that gum disease has all sorts of nasty side effects that you want to avoid. You know you should see your dentist every six months. Do you need another good reason to actually get your butt into a dentist’s chair?

Consider this your kick in the derriere. Gum disease not only causes your teeth to fall out and your jaw bone to dissolve, it can kill you. The American Academy of Periodontology believes that gum disease can cause something called infective endocarditis, which causes a sometimes fatal inflammation of the interior lining of the heart and heart valves. In other words, gum disease causes heart disease. Heart disease can kill you. Therefore, you want to avoid gum disease at all costs.

Still not convinced? Let’s go into more detail. When you have gum disease, a normal task such as chewing or brushing can harm the gum tissue and allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream. If left untreated, this bacteria builds up and causes the fatal infection mentioned above. This same bacteria can also attach itself to fatty plaque in your bloodstream and contribute to clot formation, leading to coronary artery disease. In fact, if you have gum disease, you’re twice as likely as those that don’t to suffer from coronary artery disease.

Because of the risk of infective endocarditis, you need to make sure your dentist knows if you have heart disease before you arrive at your appointment, even if it’s only for a simple cleaning. Your dentist will give you a prescription for an American Heart Association recommended antibiotic to prevent you from becoming susceptible to this infection during your appointment.

Obviously, gum disease is nothing to play around with. To reduce your risk of gum disease, make sure you’re brushing and flossing thoroughly, and see your Michigan Dental Association dentist regularly.

You know you need to take good care of your teeth. You know that gum disease has all sorts of nasty side effects that you want to avoid. You know you should see your dentist every six months. Do you need another good reason to actually get your butt into a dentist’s chair?

Consider this your kick in the derriere. Gum disease not only causes your teeth to fall out and your jaw bone to dissolve, it can kill you. The American Academy of Periodontology believes that gum disease can cause something called infective endocarditis, which causes a sometimes fatal inflammation of the interior lining of the heart and heart valves. In other words, gum disease causes heart disease. Heart disease can kill you. Therefore, you want to avoid gum disease at all costs.

Still not convinced? Let’s go into more detail. When you have gum disease, a normal task such as chewing or brushing can harm the gum tissue and allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream. If left untreated, this bacteria builds up and causes the fatal infection mentioned above. This same bacteria can also attach itself to fatty plaque in your bloodstream and contribute to clot formation, leading to coronary artery disease. In fact, if you have gum disease, you’re twice as likely as those that don’t to suffer from coronary artery disease.

Because of the risk of infective endocarditis, you need to make sure your dentist knows if you have heart disease before you arrive at your appointment, even if it’s only for a simple cleaning. Your dentist will give you a prescription for an American Heart Association recommended antibiotic to prevent you from becoming susceptible to this infection during your appointment.

Obviously, gum disease is nothing to play around with. To reduce your risk of gum disease, make sure you’re brushing and flossing thoroughly, and see your Michigan Dental Association dentist regularly.