Cavity Bacteria Can Invade Your Heart

We’ve been hearing more and more about the link between oral health and heart health.  We’ve always known that taking care of our mouths helped us with overall well-being, but now there is a direct correlation between taking care of our mouth and taking care of our heart.  Cavity causing bacteria has been found in the body and can wreak havoc on the function of the heart according to the article “How Cavity-Causing Microbes Invade Heart” found on ScienceDaily.com.

The identification of a specific protein has been shown to allow the spread of dangerous bacteria according to the June issue of Infection and Immunity by microbiologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Streptococcus Mutans cause cavities and reside in plaque on our teeth and usually just stays in the mouth while our immunity destroys them.  Occasionally, these strands will travel to the heart and feed on its tissue causing inflammation of the heart valves which can end up causing the heart to malfunction.  It just so happens that infection from S. Mutans is the leading cause of this condition and is very serious.

The good news is that there are some preventative measures you can take to limit the chance of this happening to you.  Scientists are hard at work at figuring out a simple solution to this serious problem, but until that has been confirmed be sure to keep your mouth as healthy as possible.  This involves visiting your Miami dentist regularly and brushing and flossing with cavity fighting products.  Staying away from sugar and junk food will not only help keep your mouth clean, but will keep your immune system working hard to fight the nasty bacteria.  Talk to your dentist about what else you can do to keep your mouth as healthy as possible.