Could Flossing Save Your Life?

(CBS)  A beautiful smile is a good thing, but what's between your teeth may be much more important.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton says a new report from the American Academy of Periodontology is the latest linking gum disease to heart disease.

So, could flossing save your life?

Maybe, Ashton said on The Early Show Monday.

She noted that some theories connecting the gums and heart focus on infections.

Ashton said inflammation caused by chronic mouth infection irritates the arteries of the heart, making those arteries more susceptible to plaque buildup.

Another theory, she told co-anchor Harry Smith, says bacteria are at fault. Bacteria from the mouth, she said, enter the bloodstream and can attach to plaque in heart arteries.

Those developments, Ashton said, could in turn lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading killer of Americans, contributing to the deaths of around 2,400 people a day.

But there are ways to know if your gums are at risk. Signs of gum disease include bleeding, bad breath, abscesses, pockets, receding gums, and loose or separating teeth.

"It's very important to take care of our gums," Ashton said. "... People need to go (to the dentist) not just once a year, but two or three times a year, and have (him or her) check for these things."

But what if you think you have gum disease now?

Ashton said there are things you can do about it. She recommended tips by the American Dental Association. She said people should floss once a day, brush your teeth twice daily, visit the dentist, not smoke, and eat a balanced diet.

[King_of_FA]

I remember when I got taken POW in the 'Nam, Charlie forgot to search my bunghole. So I pulled out all 30 yards of floss is had with me, garroted both gaurds and made myself a rope ladder to escape. It took me 3 months to cross the DMZ on account of my two broken legs but I made it just in time to get shot in the head by a Marine patrol from Khe Sahn. No brain damage but I lost all the teeth on the right side of my face.

[ubrew12]

I finally started flossing every night just before going to bed, about 10 years ago (after too many root canals). I immediately started sleeping much more soundly, and felt generally healthier in every respect, not merely in my mouth. I suffered from much fewer upset stomachs. Anyway, the correlation to general good health to flossing is, in myself in any case, too big to ignore.

So, I'm not surprised to learn of these results, that flossing can help prevent heart attack. Strange but true.

[veils-2009]

sounds like hsudul has a bad case of scurvy. Be he a pirate? Arrrgh!

[hsudul]

Excuse me but flossing alone will not save your teeth.... It is abslutely cruical that
the teeth have a professional cleaning by a certified hygenist.
I have lost nearly all but 3 teeth... in 1999 when all the lowers were pulled, my
dentist recommended 4 posts ( dental implants) in the next ten years .. 2 bars and
set of dentures were needed. Finally last summer 2 of those 4 post simply fell out
For 8 months Ihave no lower denture,, Now I must have surgery to remove the
2 useless posts .. This will cost $1550 to thier removal.
I have written to countess newspapers about the folly of dental implants but np
one seems to care,,, Just wait until they are old and thier entire savings goes to
America/s expensive dental industry. Bon Appettit!