Flossing and Heart Disease

Do you floss every day? Come on, you can tell me - I won't tell your dental hygienist! (I have to confess I didn't floss every day - but after writing this article, I do!) Of course, you may be one of the really self-disciplined people who do floss as directed. If you are, I congratulate you. This article won't really apply since you probably don't have gum disease, but keep reading anyway to find out why that thin piece of string is so important!

Recent studies have suggested that failure to floss can contribute, indirectly, to premature death. If you don't floss regularly, you may develop complications such as heart attack or stroke, after passing through unpleasant, though not fatal, stages. (Please note: An important factor in both gum disease and heart disease is smoking. Smoking cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe increases the risk of both diseases much more than failure to floss does. This is why dentists as well as doctors will strongly encourage patients to stop smoking.).

The purpose of flossing is two-fold: to clean between the teeth, and to clean under the gum line, thereby stimulating gum health. If you don't floss regularly, it's likely that your gums bleed when your hygienist flosses them. They may bleed when you brush vigorously, as well. These are signs of mild gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums. The membranes lack strength and are easily broken.

Stop and think about the germs in your mouth. As you may have heard, a human bite is more likely to become infected than a dog bite! A break in your gums will give bacteria clear access to your bloodstream. Medical research has found a correlation between any level of periodontal disease (including gingivitis) and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Investigators speculate that the bacteria in the bloodstream may clump together to form clots which then stick in arteries that are partially blocked by fatty proteins. A heart attack or stroke may result.

Continued failure to floss leads to more noticeable gingivitis, in which the gums are red and slightly puffy and bleed easily. If the gingivitis is not treated, periodontitis will result. Bacteria trapped under the gums produce toxins, causing an autoimmune response (the body's immune system turns on itself). Pockets are formed when the gums separate from the teeth and the underlying bone becomes infected. As the pockets deepen, teeth may become loose, requiring removal. Surgery to trim away unhealthy gum tissue may be advised as well.

The autoimmune response triggered in periodontitis is another possible reason for the fact that people with gum disease are twice as likely to have heart disease as those with healthy gums. Regardless of the reason, however, it is clear that periodontal disease can have effects on the rest of the body, not just the mouth. "Floss every day!" is not just the nagging phrase your hygienist repeats at every visit. Ultimately, failure to floss could mean the difference between life and death.