So my patients always hear from us about how important it is to keep your teeth and gums healthy, because down the road it could contribute to things like heart disease and other inflammatory conditions. However recently the scientists at Harvard collaborated (both medical and dental researchers) to provide new findings linking improved cancer treatment outcomes for patients who had their gum disease successfully treated.
P. gingivalis is a “bad bacteria”, and it’s the kind that burrows its way into the deep pockets in your gums around your teeth. Many patients with periodontal disease (gum disease) have this type of bacteria in their mouth. This study found that “as periodontal disease progresses in the mouth, the degradation of oral tissue leads to bacteria transferring to the bloodstream and eventually to the gastrointestinal tract…Once P.gingivalis infects the gut, a shift in the microbiota occurs there just as it does in the mouth”.*
Essentially the bad bacteria from your mouth make their way to your gut, and cause decreased success rates in cancer treatments.
So even when your gums don’t hurt (and when you’re looking up at your hygienist like, why are they taking all these millimeter pocket measurements in my mouth?…) it’s important to remember to maintain healthy gums and treat gum disease.
Call our team to get scheduled with one of our highly trained registered dental hygienists today: https://www.dibonadentalgroup.com/contact/
*https://hsdm.harvard.edu/news/new-research-links-periodontitis-treatment-improved-cancer-out comes
