Gum Disease and Covid

Just In…Gum disease does contribute to heart disease, cancer and an individual’s susceptibility to contracting Covid 19.

Those of you who know me are already aware of what is being called the oral systemic link. What goes on in your mouth can affect your overall health. The entire team at Southern California Dental Health Associates is always trying to stay on top of what we can do to keep not just your mouth, but your body as healthy as possible.

Recently a team of researchers at the University of Toronto (give it up to our brothers up north) found the missing link connecting the health of the mouth in relation to the rest of the body. It is important to know that science has already established that gum disease is an oral inflammatory disease and has correlations to diabetes and heart disease to name a few.

In the Journal of Dental Research, the team in Toronto studies neutrophils, one of the cells that attack foreign cells in the human body. The immune system releases a lot of these neutrophils to fight the bacterial infection of gum disease. However, these neutrophils keep circulating in the blood stream, which primes the body to respond to any other secondary infection in the body with excessive force, or as the researchers said “It’s almost as if these white blood cells are in second gear when they should be in first”.

What does this mean to you? More neutrophils are more likely to release cytokines, and hence the term “a cytokine storm”. This is actually documented as one of the reasons that people may die from Covid, and the cytokine storm is responsible for the immune system destroying affected tissues and organs.

What is the most common inflammatory disease affecting people across the world? You got it: GUM DISEASE. And according to Robert Lustig, an endocrinologist at U Medical School in San Francisco, the number one cause for an over reactive immune system is sugar.

The bottom line is don’t miss your appointments for hygiene (teeth cleaning) at the dental office. It actually can improve your overall health and reduce the chances of you having a bad outcome from some of the other systemic diseases out there. And at our Mid Wilshire based office we have seen many patients develop gum disease because they have been out of their routine at home or missed their regular hygiene appointment in the office.

We are practicing the highest levels of Covid prevention protocols. Second to none. If you, a loved one, friend or co-worker have any questions just call us at 323-934-3341. We are here to help anyone who seeks it.

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