Gum Disease Effect On the Whole Body

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is the name for a range of oral health problems ranging from inflammation of the gums ( gingivitis ) to the more serious periodontitis (where gums pull away from the teeth and serious infection can result).

Many people may have the early signs of gum disease and not even realize it! Symptoms like persistent bad breath, swollen gums, gums that bleed when flossing, sensitive teeth or painful spots on the gums when chewing can all be early signs of gum disease.

It is well established that gum disease can be devastating to the mouth and is the leading cause of adult tooth loss and other oral problems. What is less well-known is that gum disease can also have negative impact on other parts of the body.

The mouth is not an isolated ecosystem, but an integral part of the immune system. The mouth is intimately connected to many other parts of the body and a bacterial imbalance or gum disease in the mouth can create immune problems and inflammation in other parts of the body as well.

The reason the negative impact of gum disease goes beyond the mouth is gum disease is an active bacterial infection that has access to the whole body via the bloodstream!  The ‘bad bugs’ involved with gum disease are very mobile.  They can and do swim upstream and colonize other areas of the body.  

In fact, the plaque deposits from bad bugs in the mouth are the same types of plaque found in arterial walls in heart disease sufferers!  Given the understanding that these bacteria in the mouth travel through the bloodstream, it makes sense that gum disease could affect the rest of the body.

We understand that the harmful bacteria present in gum disease colonize in the mouth, but are then able to access the rest of the body via the bloodstream.  In essence, a person with active gum disease has an enemy “inside the gates” slowly but surely eroding his or her health by poisoning the system with bacteria.

The immune system recognizes the gum disease as the rampant bacterial infection it is.  One way the body defeats an infection is to increase the inflammation in the local area of the infection in an effort to increase blood flow thus increase the number of white blood cells to fight the infections.  Swollen, painful gums, bleeding when brushing or flossing are clear signs of an active bacterial infection in the mouth and an early warning sign of serious gum disease.

More serious problems begin to occur when the bacteria present in the mouth from gum disease travel to other parts of the body. At this point, it is now a system wide chronic inflammation that contributes to and sets the stage for other diseases like arthritis,diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Thus, gum disease really is one of the main pathways, like a gateway disease, that helps support the conditions that allow system wide diseases to establish and flourish.