What does Periodontal Disease and/or Gingivitis have to do with your Heart?

Finally an explanation I can understand!

I have always wondered why Periodontal Disease and/or Gingivitis put your Heart at such risk.  

Why was the Heart at the forefront?

I can gather how any infection can impair your overall health... and even how germs in the mouth have a front line to our blood via the whole sublingual thing... the one where, the germs in your mouth could easily enter under your tongue, directly into the blood stream.  (This is the fastest and most direct route to your blood stream, and hence one used for many crucial medications.)

But that still didn’t tell me why the heart was more at risk... 

So at risk, in fact, that when when someone with heart related ailments goes in for dental procedures they have to take antibiotics days before their appointment?

Now the answer...  This is so cool!

Your mouth harbors bacteria - especially if you have Periodontal Disease or Gingivitis.  These germs are swallowed and mixed with the air we inhale, continually.  Kind of gross to think about, but they coat and attach to everything along the way.  Your tongue, throat...  nasal passages... you get the picture.

This explains why some people can never seem to get rid of their bad breath no matter how much they brush... and why/how chlorophyll rich drinks really help.

In comes the heart... The heart as you know pumps our blood.  In line with the ‘we need air to live’ it picks up oxygen from the lungs... the germ tainted oxygen!  

Right there is how it happens!  This is why the heart is so at risk.  It’s first in line.  No filtering... no cleaning... just a concentration of germs and bacteria delivered straight to the heart!