{"id":451,"date":"2022-11-05T17:52:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-05T17:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/?p=451"},"modified":"2022-12-07T17:54:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T17:54:19","slug":"gum-disease-and-lung-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Gum Disease Lead to Lung Problems?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling man standing in a field\" class=\"wp-image-452\" width=\"288\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735-768x571.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The average person understands they should brush their teeth and floss each night to avoid gum disease, but it can sometimes be easy to forget how important that really is. Even people who take good care of the rest of their bodies might neglect their oral health, thinking that it doesn\u2019t matter as much. However, some researchers believe that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">preventing gum disease<\/a> can reduce the risk of serious health issues later in life. Particular attention has been paid to a potential causal link between gum disease and lung diseases like COPD. If you\u2019re curious about what the connection could be, read on for a little bit more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Gum Disease Lead to Lung Disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years researchers have been aware of a correlation between periodontitis (i.e., advanced gum disease) and COPD, but it\u2019s never been clear which one came first, or if one caused the other. Dr. Randi Bertelsen at the University of Bergen in Norway was interested in this question, which is why he\u2019s begun a long-term study on how treating gum disease in young adults affects their long-term respiratory health. While the study has yet to be completed, Dr. Bertelsen\u2019s hypothesis is that the bacteria most commonly responsible for periodontitis can increase the chances of contracting lung disease. \u201cWe believe,\u201d he said in a recent interview about his research, \u201cthat inflammatory bacteria in the mouth create pockets between the gum and tooth, break down the lining and spread\u2026\u201d The theory is that these bacteria then enter the bloodstream, eventually reaching the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Does Gum Disease Affect the Rest of the Body?<br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the reasons why Dr. Bertelsen may suspect a connection between gum and lung disease is because of the more solid evidence connecting oral health problems to issues with the cardiovascular system. In fact, the connection between periodontitis and heart disease is very well established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Porphyromonas gingivalis<\/em> and <em>Streptococcus mutans<\/em> are two varieties of bacteria that are usually to blame for gum disease. These same bacteria are also found often in diseased heart tissue. When Dr. Bertelsen hypothesized that bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream and spread to the lungs, he was echoing one of the most common theories used to explain the connection between gum and heart disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there isn\u2019t quite enough evidence to definitively say that gum disease can lead to respiratory infection, there are already plenty of reasons to make sure your oral health is as good as it can be. Evidence has shown that brushing twice a day and flossing daily aren\u2019t just good for your mouth; they can keep your heart working hard as well. And, at the end of the day, a nice smile is its own reward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Nicholas Brong is a family dentist who\u2019s been practicing for over a decade. He approaches oral medicine as a partnership between dentist and patient, where he empowers you to make the best decisions about your oral health. Dr. Brong is a member of the Minnesota Dental Association and SPEAR Education, both of which keep him informed on the latest treatments for oral disease. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of California, San Francisco. If you have any questions about the effects of gum disease, Dr. Brong can be reached at his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or by phone at <strong>(507) 288-1066<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The average person understands they should brush their teeth and floss each night to avoid gum disease, but it can sometimes be easy to forget how important that really is. Even people who take good care of the rest of their bodies might neglect their oral health, thinking that it doesn\u2019t matter as much. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gum Disease And Lung Problems | Zumbro Family Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brushing and flossing are important to your teeth, but recent studies have shown that they might also be important to your lungs! Here\u2019s why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gum Disease And Lung Problems | Zumbro Family Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Brushing and flossing are important to your teeth, but recent studies have shown that they might also be important to your lungs! Here\u2019s why.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zumbro Family Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-05T17:52:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-07T17:54:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"drbrong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"drbrong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"drbrong\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/03879c1028647ec11997e8c06757a573\"},\"headline\":\"Can Gum Disease Lead to Lung Problems?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-05T17:52:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-07T17:54:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":574,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gum Disease And Lung Problems | Zumbro Family Dental\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/gum-disease-and-lung-problems\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/AdobeStock_324144462__1670435494_37735.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-05T17:52:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-07T17:54:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.zumbrofamilydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/03879c1028647ec11997e8c06757a573\"},\"description\":\"Brushing and flossing are important to your teeth, but recent studies have shown that they might also be important to your lungs! 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