Floss Your Way to Better Heart Health
Growing up, my dentist’s office had a sign on the waiting room wall which read: “You Only Need to Floss the Teeth You Want to Keep.” I have to admit, as a young person I wasn’t moved to action. Not that I didn’t attempt the task—but having somewhat crowded teeth, flossing proved very difficult for me as the floss would inevitably become stuck, and then shredded, as I tried to pull it through those tight spaces. So, I pretty much gave up.
I was quite pleased, however, when a flattened plastic version of the formerly rounded, stringy strands of floss was introduced to the market. This enabled the pieces of floss to “glide” more smoothly through my tightly spaced teeth. But even still, my compliance to the task of daily flossing was inconsistent—despite the warnings of my dentist and his sarcastic waiting room sign.
All that changed for me back in the early 2000’s when I learned of a significant study which found that men with gum disease (periodontitis) had a 70% greater risk of developing heart disease! Even a chronic case of “mere” gum irritation (gingivitis) caused men to have a 40% increased risk of heart disease. What these scientists had discovered was that the same bacteria which bred at the gum line had found its way into the walls of the heart’s arteries. Furthermore, Harvard Medical School researchers found that the very same plaque which accumulates at the gum line can be absorbed into the blood stream where it can add to the clogging of arteries and veins. Crazy, huh?
Listen, my friend, if flossing our teeth—which helps to prevent gingivitis and periodontitis—can save both our teeth and our lives, maybe we should ramp up our dental hygiene practices to stack the health odds in our favor so we can continue to age well, live long, and serve strong.
Now would somebody please pass the floss?