DENTAL DISEASE CAN BE LIFE THREATENING!

By Dr. Angeletti, published in Our Town, June, 2007

 

Recently, a Maryland 12-year-old boy died from a brain hemorrhage caused by bacteria from an untreated infected tooth.

Misfiled paperwork caused the boy’s family to lose its Medicaid coverage keeping him from seeing an oral surgeon until his condition became so severe, he had to be hospitalized. His death should have been easily preventable and shows a failure of the health care system in the U.S.

 

It is also an extreme example of what can happen if the average American neglects their oral health for too long.  Research over the last 20 years has shown that your dental health affects your overall health much more than previously thought.

 

Even relatively low amounts of bacteria in your bloodstream from periodontal disease or an infected tooth can cause heart and kidney problems, if left untreated for a long time. This is why your dentist will typically place you on an antibiotic immediately if you abscess a tooth. Even attempting to give a local anesthetic injection near an abscessed tooth can cause more bacteria to be dumped into your bloodstream, which can be potentially dangerous if you’re not already on an antibiotic.

 

A less obvious problem is periodontal disease. If you have deepened gum pockets with tissue that bleeds easily, bacteria is constantly entering your bloodstream. Your immune system normally handles this invasion without too much trouble, but over time, the immune system may not be as effective (such as when you have a cold or flu) and the bacteria can attach to heart valves, etc.

 

If you have lived in Atlanta for awhile, you may remember a much loved Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist and author, Lewis Grizzard. He was born with a faulty heart valve that was replaced with a pig valve about 1980. Later, while he was in Russia, one of Lewis’ impacted wisdom teeth became infected. The infection followed the muscles down to his heart and began to collect on the pig valve. Emory doctors later stated he came within 3 days of dying from the infection.

 

The old saying used to be “Ignore your teeth and they will go away”. Now it probably should say “Ignore your teeth and they might kill you”!