A Puzzling Visit to the Dentist

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For his long awaited kidney transplant, the patient who was a 26 year old man from Long Beach, California was expecting a number of physical exams not to mention a series of blood tests before he checked into the hospital last July. But he was bewildered when told to see a dentist. With his bad gums mattering, this was something he did not know. He should be bacteria free for the surgery to happen.

Doctors and dentists suspect more when it comes to the gravity of gum disease. Based on research that has been compiled over the last five years it is possible for gum disease, if the condition has persisted for a long period of time without being treated, to contribute to cardiovascular disease and stroke, pregnancy complications, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, and even some types of cancers. In the presence of oral infections, the risks involved in surgical procedures including transplantation and cardiac valve replacement are heightened.

As a periodontist at Boston University said, for many years the mouth was not considered to be a part of the body. From a study the New England Journal of Medicine published came about the information about how better heart health can result from the treatment of severe gum disease considering how it improves the function of blood vessel walls. In the placentas of pregnant women with high blood pressure and the arteries of people with heart disease are where periodontal bacteria bugs can be found.

However, it is still too early in the evolution of this research to say that gum disease causes other illnesses. But the evidence is compelling enough that it's beginning to unite dental and medical professionals, two groups that have had only a nodding acquaintance in the past. It is the dental insurance industry which is also experiencing changes. Dental and medical insurance are offered by some health insurance companies that are now offering low cost enhanced dental benefits as well for patients who are high risk and who might experience broader health benefits by having a cleaner mouth.

When the bacteria in plaque, the sticky film that forms on teeth, persists for a long time the gums can be inflamed. The body fights back causing an inflammation to develop. What unchecked inflammations can lead to are more problems. What most Americans have is an inflammation of the superficial structure of the gum called gingivitis which can lead to gum disease.

Through flossing, favorable genetics, and good brushing, you can limit the extent of gingivitis and keep gum disease at bay but this condition of persistent inflammation still affects 30 to 40 percent of American adults. In this case, 10 percent of the people encounter damages to the ligaments, structure, and bone that supports the teeth which are advanced cases already. Other than bleeding, gum disease has few symptoms and rarely causes much discomfort. As the gums begin to hurt, you know it is too late. Reaching the bloodstream and traveling to other parts of the body are the dual forces of infection and inflammation in the mouth before the teeth and gums hurt.

One of the most well established links between gum disease and secondary infection, for example, is among people with mistral valve heart defects. What valve patients have long been warned by doctors to do is to take antibiotics before teeth cleanings in order to protect the bloodstream from being infected by bacterial disruption in the mouth. One other way gum disease damages the body is through inflammations. Releasing toxins, bacteria in plaque cause the immune system to produce chemicals called cytokines. Because they increase inflammations, cytokines damage tissues throughout the body. You can say that inflammation is a culprit in the development of many illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

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