You only have to floss the ones you want to keep!
Do I have to floss? The answer is, YES.
Brushing your teeth with out flossing is like washing only half of your car. Brushing only gets the plaque on the surfaces you can see but its the pesky parts that are in between, that those bristles just can’t reach. Yeah, you know, the front and back of the tooth. Add it up, that is like half the tooth! How silly would that be to only clean the middle section of your car (including the top). Unfortunately, unlike our car, this can have a major affect on not only your oral health but your whole body. We used to only be concerned about your teeth, now it’s your whole body. Imagine that! Your mouth, which is connected to your head, which is connected to your body can effect the rest of you whole body health. Crazy! It’s mind blowing, I tell ya.
Here is an article from perio.org about the link between gum disease and heart disease.
Gum Disease Links to Heart Disease and Stroke
Researchers have found that people with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.
Heart Disease: Several theories exist to explain the link between periodontal disease and heart disease. One theory is that oral bacteria can affect the heart when they enter the blood stream, attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries (heart blood vessels) and contributing to clot formation. Coronary artery disease is characterized by a thickening of the walls of the coronary arteries due to the buildup of fatty proteins. Blood clots can obstruct normal blood flow, restricting the amount of nutrients and oxygen required for the heart to function properly. This may lead to heart attacks.
Another possibility is that the inflammation caused by periodontal disease increases plaque build up, which may contribute to swelling of the arteries. Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can also exacerbate existing heart conditions. Patients at risk for infective endocarditis may require antibiotics prior to dental procedures. Your periodontist and cardiologist will be able to determine if your heart condition requires use of antibiotics prior to dental procedures.
Stroke: Additional studies have pointed to a relationship between periodontal disease and stroke. In one study that looked at the causal relationship of oral infection as a risk factor for stroke, people diagnosed with acute cerebrovascular ischemia were found more likely to have an oral infection when compared to those in the control group.
So I no longer want to hear when I go over your health history and ask about medications or other medical conditions with you, and I ask, “any other medications, supplemments, vitamins, surgeries or health conditions not listed?” I don’t want to hear this reply, (do I need to repeat it a third time) “Nope, nothing that is related to what you are doing.” Because it does. It has a lot to do with what I am doing and what you will be doing … so just fill out all of the health history and list all of your medications, and conditions, please(big smile). It is confidential. HIPPA makes sure it is.
So what can you do to prevent this inflammation from occurring and getting gum disease which then leads down an unknown path.
