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GUM DISEASE
| I think it is worth mentioning again, that a person diagnosed with a cardiac disorder which predisposes infective endocarditis should have a dental examination as soon as possible by a dentist who is experienced with patients with special needs. |
| A study done in 1998 disclosed that having serious gum disease that involved bone loss increases a person's risk of heart disease by up to two fold, and may increase the risk of stroke. Plaque, which has about 300 different types of bacteria, collects where bone once stood and enters the bloodstream through ulcerations in the gums. That bacteria appears to cause clots. The report goes on the say that bacteria in plaque may cause other heart ailments including a rare but potentially fatal disease called infective endocarditis. To avoid gum disease, floss daily and visit your dentist regularly, and if you suffer from bone loss as a result of gum disease, have it treated. |
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Studies done as early as 1935 showed how the mere rocking of a tooth with
forceps sent a shower of bacteria into the blood stream in 86 percent of
21 cases when severe gum disease was present. They also showed that
even in the absence of trauma, there was still leakage into the blood
stream in patients with severe oral infection.
Oral irrigation devices, wooden or rubber simulators, and dental floss, all designed to keep the mouth clean, can be dangerous to patients with gum disease. In studies, testing bacteria after dental manipulations, it was shown that 50% of 30 patients with severe gingivitis had a bacteremia after the use of oral irrigation devices. Light and deep cleaning of dental plaque can also cause a bacteremia. Ordinary actions such as chewing and brushing can be hazardous to the health of an MVP patient, where certain conditions exist in the mouth. Studies have shown the chewing candies can promote bacteremia in the bloodstream after 10 minutes. 55% of 336 patients with varying degrees of dental caries and gum disease chewed a sticky candy for one half hour and had bacteremia in the blood stream. Blood cultures taken before and after chewing were positive in 2 of 5 patients with periodontal disease or infection of the gums. There was no bacteria in the blood of patients without gum disease. These are just a few examples of what I have found in my research about gum disease and the release of bacteremia into the blood stream. Naturally you can see the importance of getting this situation under control. It is easy to avoid infective endocarditis with a regiment of antibiotics while visiting the dentist. It is not as easy to control it with normal daily things as chewing, brushing and maintaining your teeth at home. I often feel as if I have a time bomb inside me, just waiting to go off. Time for me to make that appointment !!!! |
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An informative book on teeth is, How to Save Your Teeth by David Kennedy. There are lots of tips in the book and lots of information like types of crowns etc. One of the things of interest to me is how to kill bacteria present in your mouth with a mixture (toothpaste) you make up yourself in your kitchen. ingredients are:
Mix baking soda to peroxide and add enough water to make a moist paste, then add salt. Obviously there is a lot more to it than simply brushing with this mixture and again, I highly recommend this book to help get the gum disease under control. |