If you subscribe to this publication, I assume you are into health and longevity in a serious way. You are most likely physically fit, eating well and taking a small fortune in fish oil. Have you really turned every stone to ensure you are doing everything possible for optimum health? If you are not conscious about the health of your mouth, you could be walking around with a low-grade infection that can affect your immune system, your blood sugar and your cardiovascular system. I want you to know the risks of poor dental health and some simple ways to keep yourself in the clear by taking care of your teeth.

You should know from regular dental care if you have periodontal disease, why you have been diagnosed with it, and how to manage it. Periodontal disease is a chronic low-grade infection. While gingivitis is an infection of the gingival tissue, periodontitis is an autoimmune disease-causing breakdown of the tooth’s surrounding soft tissue and jawbone. Technically once you are diagnosed with periodontal disease, meaning you have pocket readings that are 4 mm or greater, it cannot be cured; you can only keep it in a state of remission. More good news: most of us have 4 mm pockets here and there and all we can do is keep them clean and maintain them, but if they heal, they will always be at high risk of returning and getting worse. It takes work. Is it worth it? Let me tell you more and you can decide.

Immunity In the simplest terms, if you bleed when flossing or brushing your tissue is most likely infected and very porous. Everything you put in your mouth and the bacteria that grow there have direct access to your blood stream—cause you’re bleeding! Guess what? They also cause your body to initiate an immune response, meaning low-grade inflammation systemically. So this infection is traveling throughout your body as fast as your little heart is pumping. If your immune system is busy taking care of the infection in your mouth, plus the low level bacteremia it may be causing in your bloodstream, then it really isn’t at full force to fight that nasty cold or flu that may be going around. There is more…

Cardiovascular disease and periodontal disease Bacteremias or endotoxemias are caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream. Periodontal disease sets up a perfect scenario for bactereimias and endotoxemias to occur through compromised and infected tissue. When bacterial loads such as these take place they cause significant changes in the blood and blood vessels by impacting platelet function, blood coaguability, endothelial cell function and the integrity of blood vessel walls. The markers in the blood that identify and cause these conditions are called C-reactive proteins. C-reactive proteins are released from the liver when the body is exposed to a bacterial load. So, if there is a high level of C-reactive protein in your bloodstream, your inflammation system is probably in high gear, and if you were to have your blood tested it would be determined that you are at a higher risk for developing a heart attack or stroke than someone without C-reactive proteins in their blood. Newsflash: Being at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke is NOT healthy.

Diabetes and Periodontal Disease Periodontal disease is considered the sixth complication of Diabetes Mellitus. There are approximately 20 million people in the United States that have diabetes, and one third of them don’t know it. Diabetes 2 accounts for about 95% of the cases and Diabetes 1 about 5%. Diabetes 1 is when your body just doesn’t make (enough) insulin, and Diabetes 2 is a lack of receptor sensitivity that tells your body to produce insulin. We need insulin to turn glucose into energy. (Sorry for the oversimplified explanation, but most of you already know this stuff.) It is well known that people with diabetes are more likely to develop periodontal disease. Diabetics generally have a thickening of vascular walls that don’t allow nutrients and waste in and out of areas of acute or chronic infection, and so, they are more prone periodontal disease. But did you know there is a two-way relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes? If you control periodontal infection you can increase your ability to control blood sugar. You want good insulin sensitivity, right? (You’ve been suffering through the Zone diet for some reason…) Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a protein related to inflammation and it signals white blood cells to go to the site of infections in the body. An overabundance of TNF-alpha in the bloodstream due to periodontal infection has been theorized to cause an increase in glycolated hemoglobin (or glycosylated hemoglobin or hemoglobin A1c) where excess glucose binds to hemoglobin. The amount of glycolated hemoglobin in the blood is a measure of blood sugar control. What does this all mean? It means that infections, especially chronic ones like periodontal infections, can affect blood sugar and insulin responses in a negative way. It has happened a few times in my practice, where a diabetic will come in with active periodontal disease, and through aggressive and frequent cleanings, along with fanatic homecare, meaning total compliance with daily brushing and flossing, we have put the periodontal disease into remission and the patient has been able to lower or stop their glucophage medication! I’ve seen it work and it just makes sense.

Respiratory infections and Preterm Births Ok, so I am lumping these two together because you have to be super immune compromised or pregnant for these to apply to you. But I want to discuss them because some of us may end up in these categories some time in our lives. Bacteria such as pneumonia are found in saliva and dental plaque of people with periodontal disease. The bacteria in your mouth can be aspirated, and if you are immune compromised, than you may bring on a serious case of bronchitis or pneumonia. I don’t know about you, but I have trained so intensely in my CrossFit workouts that I feel like I could aspirate my tongue! So, if there is a lot of junk on my teeth, who knows what can get down there. My immunity is good, but you never know how some of those nasty winter illnesses can be brought on. And finally, preterm births. At the beginning of this discussion we talked about bacterimias and endotoxemias being brought on by a bacterial load in the mouth with compromised tissue. This time when the bacteria travel systemically and reach the uterus they cause a chemical called prostaglandin to release, and this can cause uterine contractions and consequently preterm labor.

What to Do If you haven’t been to the dentist in a long time, go. The sooner you go the more money you’ll save and the healthier you’ll be. Being pro-active about your dental care is the way to keep the pain down and the costs low. If you are regular about it “yea you!” from your favorite CrossFitting Dental Hygienist! When you see the hygienist ask for a copy of your probe readings or your “full mouth probe” (FMP). Ask her what your periodontal status is. If she suggests that you see her more than every six months, do so even if your insurance doesn’t cover it (Insurance should never dictate your treatment needs!). If she says you need root planing, or need a periodontal referral you most likely have periodontal disease, so get the treatment you need to slow it down. Take your probe chart home (have your hygienist teach you how to read it) and if you have areas of pocketing greater than 4 millimeters, you need to start flossing like Donny Osmond on crack. Seriously, out of all the patients I see, the number one thing they don’t do is floss. People tell me all the time that their gums just bleed. No, they don’t. They only bleed because they are infected. If you are not flossing, you are missing 40% of the junk in your mouth! Keep flossing, even if it makes you bleed. If you are consistent and doing it correctly, the bleeding will stop in 2 to 4 weeks. Your gingival tissue should be as light pink as the palm of your hand, not RED! There is a ton of hope if you have active periodontal disease, I have put many patients back on track so that they are not living with active infection in their mouths. If your excuse is “I can’t afford it”, wait until you need a root canal or periodontal surgery. It will only cost thousands! The key word again: Pro-active! Really, if finances are an issue you can go to your local dental school or dental hygiene school and get super cheap treatment. It is a learning environment, so it will take a ton of time, but the work is usually good because these students are all going for the “A” grade. Just do something; don’t wait. I suggest you brush your teeth twice a day and floss once every 24 hours. If you are healthy it will keep you that way.

The Verdict More studies are being made that are finding legitimate links between the health of your mouth and your systemic health. There are some clear cases on how the health of your mouth can affect your heart, your blood, your lungs and your baby. Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body (duh.) but we often don’t treat it that way. It is a huge portal of entry for nastiness in the system. Please, be informed about the condition of your mouth so that you can make healthful choices just as you do with diet and exercise. I hope this article will get you motivated to further study optimum health and oral health. Achieving it will take not only a sound body and a sound mind, but also a healthy bite.