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Periodontal or gum diseases often progress slowly, without pain, over a long period of time. The longer gum disease goes undetected and uncontrolled, the more damage it can cause to your gums or other supporting tissues.
Left untreated, the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can travel through your body and cause serious health problems, including:
- Heart disease – the bacteria can travel through your bloodstream, mixing with platelets to form clumps of cells that can adhere to your arteries and cause heart disease.
- Stroke – studies have shown that up to 40 percent of the bacteria found in the fatty deposits lodged in the carotid arteries of stroke sufferers come from inflamed gums.
- Diabetes – the presence of gum disease makes it more difficult for diabetics to control their blood sugar. Eliminating gum inflammation can directly improve diabetic control.
- Ulcers – The bacteria that cause gum disease also cause the appearance and reappearance of gastric ulcers.
- Pre-term births – women with gum disease are seven to eight times more likely to give birth prematurely, and their babies are more likely to have low birth weights.*
(*The information contained in this health section comes from Systems Practice Management’s form 09-11, copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 Systems Practice Management, Inc. All rights reserved.)
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