Periodontal Disease (gum disease) is defined by having a significant infection in the tissue surrounding your teeth. It’s like having an open wound in your mouth that never heals. If you had an open wound that was red and inflamed on the back of your hand for YEARS, would you ignore it? Probably not. That's what may be happening in your mouth! This disease is triggered by pathogenic bacteria in your mouth that lives in the pockets surrounding your teeth and invades the gum tissue and bone. 80% of Americans over the age of 30 have some form of gum disease.
And the harm doesn’t stop at the mouth. Bacteria in your mouth travels through your bloodstream, and can wreak havoc throughout the body. This is the oral systemic connection in action! If you’ve ever doubted the power of proactive dental care, keep reading.
Pathogenic periodontal bacteria can invade the walls of your arteries, eventually resulting in a thickening of the artery wall, and if left untreated, leads to a 3x greater risk of dying from a stroke and a 2x greater risk of dying of a heart attack. Periodontal Disease can even increase your risk of complications from COVID-19! Patients with periodontal disease have an 8.81x higher chance of death when battling COVID-19 infection.
With the most severe form of periodontal disease, periodontitis affecting 50% of Americans over the age of 30 and 70-80% of those over the age of 50, this disease is not a rare occurrence.
What is to blame?
There are many high-risk oral bacteria that can elevate your risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, pregnancy complications, cancer, and more. And did you know? 50% of heart attacks and strokes are triggered by oral bacteria that live in your mouth.
We know what the major culprits are and which problems they cause. These are a few of the high-risk oral pathogens and the issues they trigger:
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) - This bacteria has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, adverse health during pregnancy (including preterm labor, low birth weight, and even stillbirth), and the development of cancer and risk of progression.
Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) - Pg has been connected with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, adverse health during pregnancy (including preterm labor, low birth weight, and even stillbirth), the development of cancer and risk of progression, adverse joint and musculoskeletal health (including Rheumatoid arthritis), and dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Tannerella forsythia (Tf) - Tf has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, adverse health during pregnancy (including preterm labor, low birth weight, and even stillbirth), and the development of cancer and risk of progression.
Treponema denticola (Td) - Td has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, and the development of cancer and risk of progression.
These are only a few of the pathogenic bacteria we test for in our office. Click here to read more about all the pathogenic bacteria we test for in our center.
Periodontal disease is a medical condition with a dental solution!
Traditional dentistry examines the teeth merely with probing and viewing with the naked eye. However, periodontal disease is caused by pathogenic bacteria which is definitely not visible to the naked eye! By the time our mouths are displaying more pronounced signs of disease, this condition is advanced. Complete Health Dentistry of Columbus is more than a traditional dental office. We offer a wide range of services that are above and beyond the current standard of care. Some of the signs of periodontal disease include:
Bad breath
Bad taste in your mouth
Bleeding gums
Swollen or sensitive gums
Red, puffy, and/or shiny gums
Loose teeth
But it doesn’t need to get to this point! Saliva testing for periodontal disease is available and effective at identifying the exact bacteria that we’re dealing with. To assess your gum and bone health, the dental hygiene team at Complete Health Dentistry of Columbus completes a full periodontal assessment on all of our patients.
Are you at risk? Stop guessing and start testing!
Complete Health Dentistry of Columbus provides a quick, non-invasive, saliva test, to see if these pathogenic oral bacteria are present in your mouth. With these powerful results, we can identify the exact bacteria we’re dealing with and create a personalized dental wellness plan. We are a BaleDoneen provider with state of the art periodontal disease treatment methods. The BaleDoneen Method is a science-based methodology that is medically proven and accepted to both prevent and reverse heart attacks, strokes, and many other chronic conditions such as dementia, type 2 diabetes, erectile dysfunction, and kidney disease.