Brush Your Teeth To Prevent Heart Disease

[fellow]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/10176410.stm

People who fail to brush their teeth twice a day are putting themselves at risk of heart disease, research suggests.

The Scottish study of more than 11,000 adults backs previous research linking gum disease with heart problems.

People who are too lazy to brush their teeth are probably not the type of people who would bother excercising or eating a healthy diet.

[Pick It Down]

This is going to confuse the "eat like man used to eat 50000 years ago" idiots.

[okaycuckoo]

The connection seems to be between gum disease and heart disease.

Brushing twice daily is probably a good idea, but flossing is the most important bit.

Costs about £2 a year:

http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=floss+sword&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rlz=1R1GGGL_en-GB___GB345&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=UREATL6gBY234gaWwuHLDg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQrQQwAA

[The Masked Tulip]

It is a well known fact that the plaque in your mouth can cause heart attacks - hence why it is important to remove plaque from your mouth by rinsing and not by swallowing or, if your gums bleed, allowing that plaque to enter the bloodstream.

IMPO a really important piece of dental kit is one of those dental scrapper picks that you can use to prise off plaque and tartar from your teeth. Amazing how sticky it is and how quickly it can build up.

[Eric Blair]

This is going to confuse the "eat like man used to eat 50000 years ago" idiots.

double-fail:

a/ who's to say neolithic man didn't clean his teeth?

b/ not that he would have needed to so much as his diet contained little in the way of refined carbs (esp. sucrose)

[HXO]

...not by swallowing...

So, no to swallowing then?

[Patfig]

It is a well known fact that the plaque in your mouth can cause heart attacks - hence why it is important to remove plaque from your mouth by rinsing and not by swallowing or, if your gums bleed, allowing that plaque to enter the bloodstream.

IMPO a really important piece of dental kit is one of those dental scrapper picks that you can use to prise off plaque and tartar from your teeth. Amazing how sticky it is and how quickly it can build up.

I bought a waterpik dental irrigator, bt like a mini water blaster, it is fantastic and so much easier and more effective than trying to floss.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

The funny thing is, all these ideas were there at the birth of dentistry, when it was still part of medicine, when oral infection was seen as a risk to other parts of the body or the system. Worryingly, although whole body ideas never left dentistry they are, paradoxically, considered fringe even as evidence more and more supports that position. Indeed, the term 'quack' comes from dentists who used 'quecksilber' (mercury) for fillings instead of more expensive gold. Now a 'quack' is someone that tells you mercury isn't safe. Likewise, when root canals became popular some dentists pointed out the lunacy of keeping dead tissue in the body (a tooth is made up of miles of tiny tubes served by the immune system in a living tooth).

People see tooth infection and gum disease as kind of 'lesser' diseases because they are in the dental domain but wouldn't allow them to develop to the same extent elsewhere in the body. We're now learning that infection in the mouth is.... stands back in shock... potentially quite dangerous.

[SHERWICK]

The connection seems to be between gum disease and heart disease.

Brushing twice daily is probably a good idea, but flossing is the most important bit.

Costs about £2 a year:

http://www.google.co...ved=0CBgQrQQwAA

I can't afford £2 a year as I'm saving up to buy a house.

I can, however, afford £1.50 (the other 50p is going straight into a tax efficient ISA, not gold).

Do you know where I can get a discount of 50p on the floss?

[The Masked Tulip]

Hello TMT,

Do you have a link for that piece of info please?

Just found this amazing thing called a google. You give it questions and it gives you answers

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=&q=heart+attack+tooth+plaque&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enGB221GB222&ie=UTF-8

[HXO]

I can't afford £2 a year as I'm saving up to buy a house.

I can, however, afford £1.50 (the other 50p is going straight into a tax efficient ISA, not gold).

Do you know where I can get a discount of 50p on the floss?

[Lewis Gordon Pugh]

Does anyone know how they assigned cause and effect?

Does gum disease cause heart disease, or more likely, is gum disease a symptom of a malfunctioning heart

Coenzyme Q10 for example is needed for heart health and gum health. Deficiency is linked to both.

[HXO]

Does anyone know how they assigned cause and effect?

Does gum disease cause heart disease, or more likely, is gum disease a symptom of a malfunctioning heart

Coenzyme Q10 for example is needed for heart health and gum health. Deficiency is linked to both.

Dear Sir,

Your particular malady is most likely the result of an imbalance of the chi energy balance* (look, your body is basically a foment of unresolved energy which is fighting itself) and the unsmoothness of your excreta*"; take it in your hands and examine it!

I would firstly recommend you to *"A Practical Guide to All the Stages and Ages of the Female Life Cycle" by "Dr" Gillian McKeith

Once those stools have been smoothed out * We'll be having:

Gillian McKeith's Shopping Guide

How, where and why to shop healthy A guide to shopping for the Gillian McKeith healthy eating lifestyle, which includes a helpful food sperm system, a 'no-go' food reminder in case you wander into the snack aisles, tips on how to incorporate the more unusual veggies and beans into your everyday sex life; An^l beans; go orgasmic without breaking the bank; courgette delight? And eat monk on the run

[Pick It Down]

This is going to confuse the "eat like man used to eat 50000 years ago" idiots.

double-fail:

a/ who's to say neolithic man didn't clean his teeth?

b/ not that he would have needed to so much as his diet contained little in the way of refined carbs (esp. sucrose)

a) Have we found any evidence at all that we did so?

Fruit are carbs, and quite simple carbs. Didn't neolithic man eat those?

Confused much?

[Bruce Banner]

This is going to confuse the "eat like man used to eat 50000 years ago" idiots.

Why are people that don't choose to eat a diet that you approve of, idiots?

There is a decision between duration and quality of life that must be made by every individual.

There's no guarantee that even if you do eat all the "right" foods you will live a longer and healthier life, so why not eat what you enjoy? Of course, if longevity is everything to you, go ahead and graze . Still a good idea to clean your teeth though .

[Pick It Down]

Why are people that don't choose to eat a diet that you approve of, idiots?

There is a decision between duration and quality of life that must be made by every individual.

There's no guarantee that even if you do eat all the "right" foods you will live a longer and healthier life, so why not eat what you enjoy? Of course, if longevity is everything to you, go ahead and graze . Still a good idea to clean your teeth though .

Perhaps idiots was a tad strong for them. But I see it as like putting diesel into an unleaded.

I have no doubt having spent times of my life eating both that a diet heavy in stodge and junk is less likely to lead to overall happiness and success, than eating a diet that provides you with energy, nutrition, vitality and enjoyment. The latter diet is one that has a lot of protein in it, fruit and veg, oily fish, and then leaves the remaining amount totally up to personal tastes - whether that be carbs, fat or pure sucrose.

[Eric Blair]

a) Have we found any evidence at all that we did so?

tribal people today still use sticks mashed at one end for that purpose -- a traditional practice requiring little technology

Fruit are carbs, and quite simple carbs. Didn't neolithic man eat those?

yes, wild fruits, only in season, the barely-recognizable ancestors of the sugary fruit we eat today.

Confused much?

much of the time. how about you?

[The Masked Tulip]

It is not a "well known fact" at all. In fact, there is a link(which is weak-moderate), but it has not been shown whether it is causative or not.

There are one or two theories out there, one being that the bacteria from plaque cause the inflammation by releasing toxins. One of the others being that people prone to gum disease are also prone to heart disease.

The first is based on the presence of the same group of bacteria found in arterial plaques as dental plaque. S. sanguis if I recall correctly. Brushing teeth actually causes some bacteria to enter the bloodstream from the mouth. However people with gum disease tend to get more bacteraemia.

The second theory IMHO is much more plausible. It is based on the individual having increased inflammatory response, which plays a role in the development of gum disease and on heart disease.

I think the key would be to look at people with full dentures and compare them to people with a full set of teeth at a given age, taking into account socioeconomic factors. Those with full dentures should have a lower incidence of heart disease than the general population if it is the same group of bacteria causing heart disease as there is no ligament and therefore no infection. If it is increased inflammatory response, there should be an increased heart disease level amongst those with dentures, as there will be people there with dentures due to gum disease.

Which sounds more likely?

Unfortunately, the medical world is full of quacks who jump on any bandwagon and want to push their own agenda to make more money. "I'll reduce your risk of gum disease" sells a lot more hygienist appointments than "I'll scrape the crap off your teeth".

******!

[Guest Mrs Bradley]

Hello TMT,

Do you have a link for that piece of info please?

A good twenty years ago a friend of mine who had a heart problem wanted her two front teeth capped. Her dentist refused, as he said that having to take out the nerve would mean that she would not readily be aware of any infection - the likelihood of which apparently increases with a 'dead' tooth - and that a tooth/root infection would affect her heart.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

A good twenty years ago a friend of mine who had a heart problem wanted her two front teeth capped. Her dentist refused, as he said that having to take out the nerve would mean that she would not readily be aware of any infection - the likelihood of which apparently increases with a 'dead' tooth - and that a tooth/root infection would affect her heart.

Yes. At the birth of dentistry on one side of the fence there were those who saw the teeth as an integral part of the system and then there were the 'mouth mechanics' who just thought about how to patch up teeth any old way with little concern for these effects or the biocompatibility of materials. Weston A Price is a bit of a legend on this forum for his work Nutrition and Physical Generation, which looked at the dental and overall health of simple societies eating traditional diets and found it to be exceptional. Less well known is a massive study he did of the then novel practice of root canals - he found that they couldn't be sterilized as dentine is made up of miles of tiny tubes, which, in a dead tooth, sets up a massive anaerobic bacteria farm, breeding and giving off waste products 24/7. Many others said the same thing, but hey, root canals just sounded too good to be true - 'We can magically sterilise a dead tooth.' Modern research has found incredible colonies of bacteria in root-filled teeth that have no place in the mouth.

Root canals are little better today. It's not how well its done - it's the dead dentine that cannot be filled or sterilised.

Price called the idea that a site of infection in one part of the body could set up another elsewhere 'focal infection theory' and some say it was 'discredited' but, of course, if you have certain heart complaints you must take antibiotics before dental work in case bacteria spreads to your heart. Every day new research links oral pathology to systemic issues but all that's happening is that the clock's being turned back 100 years.

Of course the former 'whole body' view got a bad rap - often dentists were quick to pull teeth that could be healed with dietary changes or a filling of biocompatible material, but the move to drill, bill and fill threw the baby out with the bathwater. Nickel, MERCURY, dead teeth, root canals, dodgy cements, carcinogens - no problem, shove it in the mouth and make big money as the patient's health declines.

[ollk]

Well this news strikes a chord with me. I have had heart problems for about 15 years now - started one day when I was taken to hospital with a rapid pulse - hitting 218 bpm at it's peak!!! I was diagnosed with Supra Ventricular Tachycardia. This was controlled with Verapimol(sp?) for a number of years until I learnt to live with the symptoms.

I have lived with palpitations, irregular heart beats (cardiologists says this could be a change to atrial fibrillation) etc etc ever since. Not very nice basically but I have not let this stop me from perusing a fairly normal life.

All along I also had another problem, one which due to fear I did not want to address - my teeth were not in the best condition! I had a molar that had disintegrated leaving exposed roots and was prone to inflammation, my gums would often bleed during brushing, indicating gum disease and I hadn't been to a dentist since the age of 15.

Last year I finally plucked up courage after my o/h put my name down at my local dentist. I had extensive work done to remove gum disease, the crumbled molar roots were removed which were infected so badly I lost count of the number of injections I needed to numb the area! At least 7! The dentist was quite taken back and puzzled each time I shouted out in pain! After treatment I was put on two lots of strong antibiotics for a couple of weeks, and some more after a wet healing or some complication.

Now, for the first time since I suffered the initial heart problems, I have had 6 months of near symptom free living! I hadn't thought about any link previously, but when I look back and analyse everything that could have influenced my health (stress, diet etc..) I realise the health of my teeth are the only thing that could have influenced this!

I realise this could be sheer coincidence - I did have a little episode a week ago and I still get the odd palpitation - sometimes I can't help feel that things will return to the previous state, but from now on one thing is for sure - I will use those annoying inter-brush things (the ones we only ever previously used before our biannual appointments) every day, and I will not intentionally miss a dentist appointment again

so there could really be some truth in all this!

[talksalot81]

Jump out of planes to prevent leprosy!

Of course there are more subtle ones... like the dangers of smoking. More people died in 2009 than any other year in history from smoking related illnesses. Thus smoking is becoming more dangerous all the time! Or... 500 years ago, the global mortality count for skydiving was zero. In 2009 the number was significantly greater and thus skydiving has become much more dangerous in last 500 years.... lies, statistics and plays on grammar!

[okaycuckoo]

Well this news strikes a chord with me. I have had heart problems for about 15 years now - started one day when I was taken to hospital with a rapid pulse - hitting 218 bpm at it's peak!!! I was diagnosed with Supra Ventricular Tachycardia. This was controlled with Verapimol(sp?) for a number of years until I learnt to live with the symptoms.

I have lived with palpitations, irregular heart beats (cardiologists says this could be a change to atrial fibrillation) etc etc ever since. Not very nice basically but I have not let this stop me from perusing a fairly normal life.

All along I also had another problem, one which due to fear I did not want to address - my teeth were not in the best condition! I had a molar that had disintegrated leaving exposed roots and was prone to inflammation, my gums would often bleed during brushing, indicating gum disease and I hadn't been to a dentist since the age of 15.

Last year I finally plucked up courage after my o/h put my name down at my local dentist. I had extensive work done to remove gum disease, the crumbled molar roots were removed which were infected so badly I lost count of the number of injections I needed to numb the area! At least 7! The dentist was quite taken back and puzzled each time I shouted out in pain! After treatment I was put on two lots of strong antibiotics for a couple of weeks, and some more after a wet healing or some complication.

Now, for the first time since I suffered the initial heart problems, I have had 6 months of near symptom free living! I hadn't thought about any link previously, but when I look back and analyse everything that could have influenced my health (stress, diet etc..) I realise the health of my teeth are the only thing that could have influenced this!

I realise this could be sheer coincidence - I did have a little episode a week ago and I still get the odd palpitation - sometimes I can't help feel that things will return to the previous state, but from now on one thing is for sure - I will use those annoying inter-brush things (the ones we only ever previously used before our biannual appointments) every day, and I will not intentionally miss a dentist appointment again

so there could really be some truth in all this!

I always enjoy the "why didn't anyone tell me about this" recovery stories. It often comes down to something fairly simple.

Glad to hear it, and good for you.

[Guest Mrs Bradley]

I always enjoy the "why didn't anyone tell me about this" recovery stories. It often comes down to something fairly simple.

Glad to hear it, and good for you.

How well I remember some years ago, a biochemist colleague discovering me in the staff kitchen, downing anti-bios for infected tonsils with a mere mouthful of water.

She was horrified and warned me that I must never, EVER take these kinds of drugs without:

- A FULL glass of water and to drink plenty whilst taking them.

- taking vitamin C supplements

- taking vitamin B supplements.

Begs the question why the people authorised to administer/prescribe such compounds, omitted to tell me.

[fluffy666]

Well this news strikes a chord with me. I have had heart problems for about 15 years now - started one day when I was taken to hospital with a rapid pulse - hitting 218 bpm at it's peak!!! I was diagnosed with Supra Ventricular Tachycardia. This was controlled with Verapimol(sp?) for a number of years until I learnt to live with the symptoms.

I have lived with palpitations, irregular heart beats (cardiologists says this could be a change to atrial fibrillation) etc etc ever since. Not very nice basically but I have not let this stop me from perusing a fairly normal life.

All along I also had another problem, one which due to fear I did not want to address - my teeth were not in the best condition! I had a molar that had disintegrated leaving exposed roots and was prone to inflammation, my gums would often bleed during brushing, indicating gum disease and I hadn't been to a dentist since the age of 15.

Last year I finally plucked up courage after my o/h put my name down at my local dentist. I had extensive work done to remove gum disease, the crumbled molar roots were removed which were infected so badly I lost count of the number of injections I needed to numb the area! At least 7! The dentist was quite taken back and puzzled each time I shouted out in pain! After treatment I was put on two lots of strong antibiotics for a couple of weeks, and some more after a wet healing or some complication.

Now, for the first time since I suffered the initial heart problems, I have had 6 months of near symptom free living! I hadn't thought about any link previously, but when I look back and analyse everything that could have influenced my health (stress, diet etc..) I realise the health of my teeth are the only thing that could have influenced this!

I realise this could be sheer coincidence - I did have a little episode a week ago and I still get the odd palpitation - sometimes I can't help feel that things will return to the previous state, but from now on one thing is for sure - I will use those annoying inter-brush things (the ones we only ever previously used before our biannual appointments) every day, and I will not intentionally miss a dentist appointment again

so there could really be some truth in all this!

If my memory serves, the problem is one of chronic inflammation of the blood vessels (indeed, this seems a major cause of all heart disease); the persistent infection of the gums leads to a chronic inflammatory response. Which, interestingly, is why anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and statins work against heart disease.

All of the above is at the hypothetical stage, I hasten to add.