which discusses new evidence that Alzheimer's is caused by the same bacteria involved in gum disease.
We've never really known what causes Alzheimer's. A lot of research has looked at eliminating amyloid tangles in the brain of sufferers but this has proved unsuccessful.
This new research indicates that the amyloid appears to act as a sticky defence against bacteria. Bacteria has been found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients - this bacteria, P Gingivalis, invades and inflames the brain and would appear to be the true cause of Alzheimer's.
P. Gingivalis is also the bacteria that causes gum disease/gingivitis. The same bacteria has been implicated in inflammation leading to AF. Gum disease is of course relatively easy to treat (brushing twice a day with an electric toothbrush, flossing, interdental sticks and regular hygienist visits). So it would appear that afibbers can get a double whammy by eliminating gum disease!
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MarkS
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Thanks for that Mark. I have said for years that gum disease should be addressed for anybody with heart issues ever since I met a young chap in hopsital with endocarditis as a result of bothced wosdom tooth extraction. Took him three months to "recover" but has never been the same.
One of the big problems with NHS dentistry here in UK is that it does not do preventative maintainance and it was not unitl I had to start private that my new dentist pointed out how bad my gums were. Even with three monthly hygeine visits, twelve years down the line we are fighting a rear guard action only rather sadly.
Damn, sailing cancelled due to high winds, so back doing emails!
But you're right, Bob. I think you can tell how old people are from the state of their teeth. Those born in the 40's and earlier had poor teeth. My father had lost virtually all his teeth by his 80's and had dementia. I was born in the (early) 50's and had poor teeth as a child with lots of fillings. Then I remember reading an article in the 80's about bad breath and that the only way to have good oral hygiene was to brush twice a day and also floss. I was really surprised as I thought I had good hygiene from just brushing twice a day with a manual toothbrush. At the same time my (private) dentist said I should floss as well. So I did. My gums had receded a bit by then but I did manage to stop the rot and I haven't lost any teeth and my gums are no worse. Hopefully they'll see me out.
Those born in the 60's and later have had the advantage of fluoride in toothpaste/water all their lives and generally have much better teeth. My son doesn't have any fillings though he is lazy about his brushing and has occasional bleeding gums (despite my nagging). I've told him if he doesn't sort it out he'll end up like Grandad and he's now a bit keener!
Sadly it is not that easy. Some people like my wife (born in the late 50s not like me in the 40s ) have weak/soft gums and despite spending 20 mins or so after every meal doing industrial depth cleaning using Tp brushes , Corsodyl paste etc has still lost many teeth. She also has six monthly deep clean with the hygienist but it barely stops the rot . Dentist says it is genetic. I feel for her!
Bob, you and I similar age - though not quite caught up to you yet 😙 - Still have my own teeth but possibly due to the fact l was breast fed until the age of 5 has something to do with it..😁
I didn't believe that at first but I googled it and you're absolutely right. Brides even had all their teeth removed as a "wedding present" to save the couple cash later. Then dentures were passed down from one generation to another. It never ceases to amaze me how tough people must have had to have been compared with our mollycoddled lives!
My father had all his removed for some reason and had the dentures fitted the same day.
For an extreme example of poverty the Barrowland's Market in Glasgow even in the 1950's with our NHS service had a stall selling second hand teeth. Shocking watching old people trying them for size.
Good post Mark..
Pyorrhoea,Periodontis and periodental Health have always in my lifetime been known as precursor for heart condition and strokes..
Whilst awaiting my Ablation at LH&C Hospital the patient in front of me was refused Ablation as she had gum disease and until treated and cured her EP would not perform the procedure ...
Like BobD - l also consult privately an Orthadontist for regular Hygenist and treatments if required...The only draw back to this being l shall have to keep working until l am 90 to pay for the extortionate fees...
Look into Denplan. Both Sam and I joined and do not pay for any treatment and with my three monthly visits it is quite a lot cheaper than paying cash each time.
I used to be with Denplan, now with another similar private group which my dental surgery offers. Hygienist visits at regular intervals, all checks and fillings free and 40% off things like root fillings and caps. I think my dentist is amazingly good and his wife has AF, so he understands. He's German and you know how they expect everything to be done right. He can take ages doing a filling etc because for him it has to be done correctly.
I learnd many years ago that gum disease caused problems with heart and the old vet I worked with insisted all organs, liver kidney's, spleen, so yes I can buy the Alzhimers as well. Great post Mark!
I developed gum disease back in the late 90’s and went for lengthy, industrial treatment which involved cleaning every 4-6 weeks, the removal of infected root canal work which I had done in 1969 and implant. I am sure this was a huge factor in all my subsequent health issues - AF & Autoimmune disease. The excellent consultant I saw drummed it into me just how important gum health was and the strong links to heart disease and dementia but one of the principle things she felt was to stop smoking - I still had the odd puff - to be sociable in those days.
The thought of all my teeth dropping out and going ga ga was enough for me - I have 3-4 monthly hygienist appointments and 6 monthly checks and thankfully no more gum disease.
Thanks for posting as I persuaded my husband to finally visit a dentist - no visits for over 50 years - and he has had to have similar treatment which has shocked him as he thought he had good oral hygiene, certainly has all his teeth at 85 and no fillings. I am hoping that this will improve his general health which has been declining of late.
I think people think dentists only work on teeth but they actually work with a lot, lot more.
Thank you for this,I am going to be moving dentists soon as not happy with current one,very rushed checkups and several unsatisfactory filings. I shall look up Denplan too.
I decided to feed my fourteen year old dog on raw food some time ago after reading a book on the subject written by a vet.
He said that he was finding more and more dogs and cats coming to him for treatment of other issues that also had poor dental hygeine and had plaque etc.
He linked the two and blamed modern feeding practices.
Chewing on raw bones keeps the teeth clean and the gums healthy. He persuaded some people to try raw food - including bone- and they experienced an 80% reduction in the vet bills over the next year. My dog lived until she was well past sixteen but it was the improvement in her quality of life that pleased me the most.
I wonder if there's a similar link in modern human diet/illness? (Heavy sarcasm.)
Thank you for the link MarkS. My wife has Fronto-temporal-lobe dementia and I'm hoping that a treatment I have found using light therapy will help her.
Smoking is seen as bad for gum disease as it causes bone loss in the mouth which then allows food & bacteria into the tooth roots, which causes bone loss and so on. I used to smoke and even though I stopped 25 years ago my hygienist thinks that was to root cause (pardon the pun) now using grey teepee bushes for 30% of my teeth having only taken 4 years or so to get from blue. I will soon be able to get a tooth brush between them!
Mark S: I’ve never heard that Afibbers have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Is there scientific evidence to prove this? I’d be interested to read up on this.
Hello, do you know about the commection between our gums and Alzheimers Risk. So healthy gums reduces the risk of such illnesses, read this article to know more: functional-medicine.associa...
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Ablation and Dementia
Gum disease link to AFib and Ortner’s syndrome 
Exercising and flecainide
Do you know the cause?
Bleeding (sorry …rather descriptive )
