Heart Bite

from HalfMedical.com:

"The most well established link between the gums and heart disease is related to bacterial endocarditis. This is a serious infection of the lining of the heart. It has long been known that anything that causes bleeding in the mouth can seed bacteria into the bloodstream. Normally these germs are cleaned out of the blood stream by white blood cells within a few minutes. But in some people with some types of pre-existing heart disease (usually valvular heart disease or prosthetic heart valves) there is a predisposition to having these bacteria latch on to the damaged heart tissue, causing this serious infection. For this reason, it is recommended that patients with these kinds of heart damage be placed on antibiotics prior to having any dental treatment that is likely to cause bleeding.

Your teeth and gums, it seems, speak volumes about your well-being. For starters, cavities and gum disease may point to diabetes or heart disease, and loose teeth could be a sign of osteoporosis.

Bleeding gums, dry mouth, fungal infections, cavities. These oral signs might clue your dentist into a serious health issue: diabetes. And these symptoms also might suggest other serious conditions, such as HIV and leukemia.

Diabetes and your mouth have blood sugar in common. If blood sugar levels are out of control in your body because you don’t know you have diabetes, they’re out of control in your mouth. With sugar to feed on, bacteria find a happy home in which to grow and thrive. The bacteria then attack the protective enamel layer on your teeth, and over time as the enamel breaks down, cavities develop which are one of the dental signs of diabetes."