Gingivitis Causes Heart Attacks

There are two things to know about gingivitis (gum disease) and heart disease.

First, a leading cause of heart disease is inflammation and gingivitis may be a sign of rampant inflammation. But gingivitis may just be the result of bad personal hygiene. It is surprising the number of people who do not brush or floss regularly. You should do both at least twice a day.

Second, an advanced case of gingivitis...whatever the cause...can result in bleeding gums. Once your gums are bleeding the risk of a heart attack increases for this simple reason: bleeding gums create an avenue for bacteria to get into your blood stream and it can cause an infection of the heart (infective endocarditis). The heart gets inflamed and whack! A heart attack!

Your mouth is naturally full of bacteria. When you swallow it your stomach acid kills the bacteria. (This is true if your digestive tract is healthy.) In this way, bacteria is eliminated before it can possibly get into your blood stream. But when your gums are bleeding the bacteria becomes a heart risk.

If you have red, swollen gums and especially if they are bleeding, you probably have gingivitis. Don't ignore it. It won't go away on its own. You must take action to correct it and you can reverse it. Ignoring gingivitis will eventually result in periodontitis. It is a much worse gum disease and it will cost you your teeth and a lot of money. Treatment is expensive and pulling teeth is expensive and dentures are expensive. Any way you look at it, periodontitis is expensive. Not to mention painful. I know. I have it.

Follow the link to read more about gingivitis, periodontitis, the causes, related diseases and a very effective natural gingivitis remedy.