Periodontium

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Connected to · 3

synergy · 1

Digestive
The gum pocket is another territory guarded by neutrophils: once a keystone pathogen such as Porphyromonas gingivalis throws the immune defense into disarray, what leaks out with the inflammation becomes food for the bacteria. It is the same kind of loop as some gut bacteria profiting from inflammation.

regulates · 1

Heart
Severe periodontitis and cardiovascular disease are independently associated (an observed association that does not show cause); the candidate mechanisms are bacteria entering the blood (bacteremia) and the body-wide inflammation that follows, not an unclean mouth directly damaging the heart.

contrast · 1

Lymphatic System
What leaks from the gum pocket into the blood is bacteria and their fragments; the lymphatic system transports fluid and immune cells, and it does not flush bacteria out of the gum pocket. So-called detox massage has nothing to do with this.

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Bacteria balance in the gum groove

EVIDENCEREVIEW 1

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Periodontitis is not just a matter of teeth that were not brushed clean enough. A community of bacteria at the gum line falls out of balance and keeps inflammation going, and in the end that inflammation destroys the tissues that hold the teeth in place.

Between each tooth and the gum is a shallow groove, the gingival sulcus. It is normally guarded by neutrophils (a kind of white blood cell that engulfs and kills bacteria) and complement (a set of blood proteins that tag bacteria and punch holes in them), and the bacteria living there mostly get along. Once the groove deepens, it holds less oxygen, anaerobic bacteria that live without oxygen find a home, and the makeup of the community shifts.

What gets destroyed is the gum, the periodontal ligament (the fibers that tie the tooth root to the surrounding bone) and the alveolar bone itself, together called the periodontium. That is why diagnosing and treating periodontitis belongs with a dentist.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

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