Cape Town Smile Studios

It has been proven that people with gum disease may face an increased risk of heart disease. Research in mice provided the 'missing link': bacteria that cause gum disease (Porphyromonas gingivalis), combined with fatty diets and genetic susceptibility to clog heart arteries.

This explains how chronic infection (the gum disease) may contribute to the hardening and narrowing of arteries known as atherosclerosis, which can cause cardio-vascular problems that can be fatal. It is thought that the chronic inflammatory response that injures blood vessels helps to instigate or worsen artery plaques.

The genetically susceptibilty of the mice was that they had a deficiency in the apolipoprotein E gene, which encodes a cholesterol-carrying protein that has been implicated in human heart disease. It has also been found that this protein is important in reducing the heavy metal level in the body. Read more on the problems associated with gum and bone disease.

For more information on biological, holistic and mercury free dentistry, visit www.ctss.co.za.