April’s 2007 edition of The Journal of Periodontology had two studies that showed periodontal bacteria (bugs normally found in inflamed gums) in the arteries of people with heart disease and in the placentas of pregnant women with high blood pressure.
It is still too soon to say with certainty that gum disease directly causes other illnesses, but the evidence is compelling.
Other than bleeding, gum disease has few symptoms and rarely causes much discomfort.
