Cleaning your gums every day helps your heart as much as your teeth

Most of us treat the mouth as though it is separate from the rest of the body. A new line of clinical evidence says that is a mistake. Oral health, including both teeth and gums, could also be important for heart health by preventing arterial thickening.

A rigorous study in adults with severe gum disease found that thorough gum treatment slowed the thickening of neck arteries over two years.

That change tracks with better blood vessel performance and calmer inflammation in the bloodstream.

Clean gums, healthy heart

A randomized clinical trial in London enrolled 135 otherwise healthy adults with severe periodontitis, a chronic infection of the tissues that support the teeth.

Participants received either intensive periodontal treatment or a more routine cleaning; then they were monitored for two years.

Dr. Marco Orlandi of University College London (UCL) led the work with a team of periodontists and cardiologists.

Their goal was to see whether aggressive gum care changes arteries that matter for heart and brain health.

The intensive group received deep cleaning below the gumline, full mouth scaling, and corrective therapy as needed.

The comparison group received a standard scale and polish that did not include deep cleaning of the gums.

Researchers used ultrasound to measure carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), which reflects artery wall thickening.

They also assessed flow-mediated dilation in the arm and collected blood to track inflammatory and oxidative stress markers.

Why the arteries in your neck matter

Carotid arteries deliver blood to the brain, and their inner lining can thicken gradually as plaque builds.

A large meta-analysis of 119 randomized trials showed that slowing the yearly increase in carotid thickness by about 0.01 millimeters was associated with roughly a 9 percent lower risk of future cardiovascular events.

Carotid thickness is not a disease by itself. It is a structural sign that helps researchers and clinicians watch how arteries change over time.

Watching both structure and function together paints a clearer picture. That is why the team paired ultrasound with tests of blood vessel function and analysis of blood biomarkers.

Small shifts in these measures may look modest on paper. Yet those shifts can accumulate across years, which is significant when the stakes are the heart and brain.

Gums talk to the heart

A mouth full of deep pockets and plaque is more than a dental problem.

Bacteria and toxins slip into tiny blood vessels, the immune system ramps up, and that signal can ripple through the body and nudge atherosclerosis forward.

The inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, acts like a gatekeeper and helps arteries relax when blood flow increases.

A non-invasive test measures the endothelium’s function by tracking how much an artery widens after a brief squeeze.

Chronic gum infection can tilt that balance toward stiffness. Lowering the inflammatory burden in the mouth is one way to ease that pressure on vessel function.

This mechanism sits outside the classic cholesterol pathway, meaning the benefits occur without relying on the traditional risk routes that are usually linked to cardiovascular disease.

Oral treatment and arterial health

After two years, the average inner lining of the carotid arteries was thinner in the intensive treatment group by about 0.02 millimeters.

That suggests slower structural aging of those arteries in people whose gums were deep-cleaned when compared with those who received a routine scrape and polish.

Blood vessel function improved early after treatment and stayed better through the study period. The change was seen within two months and persisted at repeated checks.

Blood tests pointed in the same direction. People who received intensive care had lower levels of inflammatory proteins and fewer oxidative stress markers in circulation.

“I was very overwhelmed when I looked at the data the first time,” said Dr. Orlandi, expressing his surprise.

Caveats and cautions

The work was done at a single center with participants who were healthy apart from gum disease. Results need to be tested in different locations and in people with more complex medical histories.

The trial tracked arteries and biomarkers, not heart attacks or strokes. It cannot prove that periodontal therapy will directly cut those events.

Medications and lifestyle still matter when it comes to cardiovascular prevention. We should view gum care as a partner to, not a replacement for, standard heart risk management.

Future studies should ask whether periodontal therapy layered onto usual prevention changes hard outcomes. That is the next step to turn this signal into clinical guidance.

Teeth, gums, hearts, and arteries

Gum disease is common, affecting about 4 out of every 10 U.S. adults aged 30 and older, according to a CDC report. Many people do not notice early signs because bleeding gums and bad breath can be easy to shrug off.

Dentists treat advanced disease with deep cleaning, root planing, and structured maintenance visits. The study used these same tools in a deliberate, stepwise way.

Brushing twice daily, cleaning between teeth, and regular exams reduce plaque and inflammation. When periodontitis is present, your clinician may recommend a staged plan that includes deep cleaning below the gumline.

If you track blood pressure, cholesterol, and tobacco exposure, add oral health to that list. The mouth and body are one system, so protecting both is a smart move.

The study was published in the European Heart Journal.

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