THAT'S THE WHY: Why do you brush your teeth? Because your parents told you to when you were small? Maybe you do it to ward off stinky breath?
Well, here’s another reason to keep your mouth in good nick: it could help protect your cardiovascular system.
Poor oral hygiene has been linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and the connection appears to be the bacteria that normally hang out harmlessly in your mouth.
If you don’t look after your teeth and gums, your gums can bleed – meaning the bacteria from your mouth can get into your bloodstream.
Once there, these bacteria are typically zapped by your immune system. But if they aren’t, they may activate blood cells called platelets, which can stick together and form clots, explains Dr Steve Kerrigan, a researcher at the cardiovascular infection group at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
In a study funded by the Health Research Board, Kerrigan and his team discovered that a large protein on the common mouth bacterium Streptococcus gordoniihelps to make blood platelets sticky.
The resulting clots could block the blood supply to your heart or brain tissue, and then you’re in trouble.
Antibiotics can help get rid of the stray bacteria in the blood, but a better bet is to keep those gnashers and gums clean in the first place, so the bacteria in your mouth don’t go wandering.
