Sebo Marketing
February 9th, 2022
For many years the medical profession has ignored dental disease and looked right past the teeth as they peered down our throats. But in the last few years the association between gum disease and heart attacks, strokes and problems in pregnancy has drawn a lot of attention. Now some research has shown up connecting COVID with gum pockets.
It’s not “Not Just Gums” as we’ve mentioned before in a previous article we published. Taking care of your oral health includes making sure your gums are healthy also. Any continuous inflammation in your gums spreads throughout the body.
Dental expert, Dr. Jerry Simon, D.D.S, and Founder of Dental Care of Stamford responds to an abstract from the Journal of Molecular Oral Microbiology. Based on the information provided in this article (see abstract below), it proves further evidence that regular and ongoing dental care is super important for dental health and for overall general health as well.
Here is an abstract from the Journal of Molecular Oral Microbiology:
Abstract:
The periodontal pocket and likely caries lesions may act as a reservoir and source of dissemination and development of systemic infections. While periodontal pockets have been found to harbor several viral species, there is no information on its ability to serve as a reservoir for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We have used a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) approach to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 in periodontal pockets and cavitated caries lesions in a cross-sectional study of 72 participants who were divided into six groups: symptomatic positive COVID-19 cases with periodontal pockets, symptomatic positive with cavitated caries lesions, asymptomatic positive with periodontal pockets, asymptomatic positive with cavitated caries lesions, positive control, and negative control.
A total of 180 samples were interrogated by RT-PCR to amplify the SARS-CoV-2 E and S genes. SARS-CoV-2 was present in 41.7% of symptomatic positive COVID-19 cases with periodontal pockets and 16.7% of symptomatic positive with cavitated caries lesions. The mean Ct value of E and S genes in periodontal pockets patients were 36.06±0.46 and 30.06±6.73, respectively, and the mean Ct value for both genes in caries lesions patients were 35.73±4.14, and 34.78±1.93, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to detect SARS-CoV-2 among periodontal pockets were 20.8% (95% CI 7.13–42.15), 100% (95% CI 73.54–100.0), and 47.2% (95% CI 30.22–64.51), respectively.
Among cavitated caries lesions patients, they were 8.3% (95% CI 1.03–27.0), 100% (95% CI 73.54–100.0), and 38.9% (95% CI 23.14–56.54), respectively. SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in periodontal pockets and caries lesions, and these sites may act as reservoirs for the virus. However, the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 detection is low compared with other methods. To our knowledge, this report is the first to investigate the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and periodontal pockets and caries.
Although getting your teeth cleaned every 6 months is great, there is more to it! Your hygienist and dentist monitors your teeth AND gums to make sure your smile remains healthy. If anything were to happen, for instance the start of gum disease, we are able to catch it early before the disease progresses and becomes even worse. And we do not want it to become worse! Early detection is KEY!
If you are brushing 2 times a day, that is great! Keep that up. But you HAVE to floss. We don’t tell you to floss to be annoying, we tell you because we care about your teeth. We want to see you keep all your teeth! There are just some places your toothbrush can’t reach. Periodontal (or gum) pockets being one of them. Lots of stuff like to get stuck in those pockets and make a home for themselves. The best way to reach them is with a waterpik. (pressured water) You can purchase them on amazon or here at the office.
Nicotine and tobacco are harmful to your entire body. It also does alot damage to your teeth and gums. Your mouth receives the initial impact of these products and it causes so much harm. Plus, nicotine reduces blood flow to your teeth and gums, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients they need to stay healthy. Also, treatment for gum disease is less successful for smokers than non-smokers.
All we want for you is to have a healthy smile: teeth, gums and all! Remember your gums are as important as your teeth. You only get one set for a lifetime so Love the Gums You Are With. If you have questions or concerns about your gums please give us a call. We are here to help you 7 days a week! 203-324-6171
We have lots of articles regarding gum disease. See related post below or click here: Category-Gum Disease
Or visit our services regarding Gum Disease: Periodontal Disease Treatment (Gum Disease & Gingivitis)
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