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The Silent Killer in Your Mouth


By Ralph Cushman  -- Click "Read More" at bottom right.


This nearly killed me, yet I had no clue it had been bearing down on me for months, so I'd pay attention if I were you.

As late as January 2020 my heart was great.  I could run up 7 flights of stairs without a problem.  But one beautiful, sunny July day a few months later I left my office and tried to casually walk a couple of blocks to my car on flat, paved ground and nearly had a heart attack from the strain.  I thought I was going to have to lay down in some stranger's yard, the discomfort in my chest was so bad.

For a couple of months before that I thought the pains in my chest were heartburn, but it suddenly became clear that was not the explanation.  I went to see my GP the next morning and he sent me to a cardiologist on an emergency basis.  After all kinds of tests and imagery the cardio told me all three of my major coronary arteries were badly blocked (about 80%, he said) and I needed bypass surgery.
I said I wasn't very interested in doing that because I knew what it entailed.  He said we could try putting in stents.  I told him several of my friends had had those and were happy with the results, but when one good friend was getting his second one the procedure made him lose all the sight in his left eye, permanently.  Apparently the catheter they use to place the stent caused a piece of the artery lining to break off and travel to his head by natural blood circulation and it blocked the small artery going to his eye. (I have since heard of people for whom the broken off piece went to their brain and caused an immediate stroke.  Such episodes are rare, but . . . )


My other objection to stents, I told him, was that every one of my friends who had gotten one ended up going back every 4 - 5 years to get another one, and another one, and so on, so stents were obviously not addressing the cause.
I asked the cardio if there was any other option.


He said in many other countries they do not have as much money for such procedures and just treat conditions like mine with meds.  I asked what the likelihood of success for me would be if I just took meds, fixed my diet, exercised and prayed.  He said it was about the same as the odds of going blind in an eye from getting a stent -- IOW, not good.  He said in many years as a cardio he had seen only three people with blockages as bad as mine get better without a procedure.  I told him well, maybe I can be #4.


Coming up on 5 years later, I have to say I am on that track, but let's go back to February 2020, a few months before my near-heart attack.  I had made an appointment with my dentist (Dentist #1), who I had not seen in a few years, to get a couple of molars on my lower right crowned because of excessive wear.  Dentist #1 told me doing the crowns would be no problem, but I had a bad infection in the back bottom molar on my left side that had to be dealt with first.  I was stunned, couldn't believe it, because I had not had any unusual pain in that area and I have always brushed twice a day and flossed regularly.  However, the dark area around the tooth root on the x-ray left no doubt.  Dentist #1 said I was going to need to have that tooth extracted and replaced with an implant, but first they would have to do a bone graft, and before they could do that they would have to get my blood pressure down, as it was very high.  Again I was shocked because I had never had high blood pressure.
What on earth had happened to me, I wondered.


I called Dentist #2, who I had knew personally and asked if he would give me a second opinion.  He did and said I definitely had a bad infection around that tooth.  The infection showed up dark gray on the x-ray, plain as day.  I asked what he would do if it was his tooth.  He said while he was not criticizing the prognosis by Dentist #1, if it were his tooth he would try to save it because it was not loose and the infection was outside the tooth, not inside it.  I said I wanted to try that.  He gave me some prescription mouthwash and a plastic-tipped syringe and told me to squirt the solution into the gum around the tooth 3 - 4 times a day.


After a couple of days of doing that I felt like the syringe was not really getting the mouthwash under my gums that well so I asked him if I could put the solution in a Water-Pik instead.  I had the WP but had not used it in years, as I had not thot I needed to.  He said sure, just dilute it about 75% with water.

I did that for a month and went back to see him.  A new x-ray showed the dark area around the tooth root was shrinking a bit.  I  continued the daily irrigation with the Water-Pik and went back every few weeks for another x-ray.  Each subsequent x-ray showed the infection was continuing to recede.  The prescription mouthwash was expensive, so I switched to Listerine.  At the recommendation of the dental hygenist, I added hydrogen peroxide ("HP") to the mix (8 parts warm water, 1 part Listerine and 1 part HP).  The infection continued to shrink and now, years later, I have no doubt I saved that tooth.  It is absolutely fine, as verifed by Dentist #2 with an exam and x-ray done December 2024.

But as nice as saving that tooth was, that was not the best part.  I am fairly certain my gum infection was the cause of my coronary artery blockages, and while you cannot make plaque in artery lining go away, once I started irrigating with the Listerine and HP I was at least making sure that neither that tooth nor any other would ever cause me to build more arterial plaque.


I go pheasant hunting in South Dakota every fall.  That year, 2020, even though I was better I still could not walk very far.  I had to stop and rest frequently due to chest discomfort.
This past  two seasons (2023 and '24) I could walk for hours while hunting without having to stop, day after day. All I had done to achieve that was to change to a little more heart-healthy diet, get regular "cardio" exercise (pushing the heart-rate up to 130 or better for a few minutes) and irrigate 3 - 4 times per week with the Water-Pik.


My arteries still have the plaque in them (there is no way to get it out), but my cardio (who I still see annually) explained that with aerobic exercise the blocked arteries will expand in diameter, allowing blood to flow around the plaque obstructions.


You just have to live long enough to get to that point.


A bit of research on the Internet revealed two fascinating facts.  First, something like 50 - 60% of all people over the age of 50 in the U.S. are walking around with some amount of chronic gum infection ("periodontal disease") they are unaware of.  Young people can have it bad, too.  Second, it is well known that the bacteria from periodontal disease will get into the blood stream, go to the coronary and other arteries and cause plaque to build up in them.


"Researchers have uncovered oral bacteria in the fatty deposits of people with atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries. Untreated, those deposits can narrow arteries or break loose and clog them, causing a heart attack or stroke."


https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/heart-and-vascular-blog/2019/march/gum-disease-and-heart-disease

Did you get that?  They found the same bacteria involved in gum disease in the plaque found in the coronary arteries.


Ever wonder why so many young people (well, young to me) die from cardiac problems?  Sure, some had genetic/valve problems, but I have no doubt a lot were caused by dental infections no one bothered to look at once the patient was dead.


Mike Williams, 36, dies

They called it "sepsis," and said it is rare, but I suspect the "natural" cardiac problems that "contributed" to his death were likely caused by the periodontal disease Williams had which had turned into sepsis.


While I am sure there were probably multiple causes to my arterial problems, I am certain the infection in my tooth was the MAJOR cause.  And if that is not enough of a reason to regularly irrigate with a Water Pik, some researchers now strongly suspect that periodontal disease bacteria is a major cause of dementia.  Again, they are finding the SAME BACTERIA in the brains of people who died with dementia.


Link Between Gum Disease and Alzheimers


Link Between Gum Disease and Dementia


NewsweeK: Link Bet. Gum Disease and Dementia

(The Newsweek story repeatedly refers to "brushing your teeth" but simply brushing does NOT cut it.)


Whatever got my heart came on fast, and coincided with the periodontal infection I later learned I had.  Once I eliminated the infection my cardiac problems started to go away, something cardios will tell you does not happen without a procedure.  I do not tell you this to encourage you to not see a cardio or to disregard his/her advice, but to highlight the link between easily preventable gum disease and artery blockage that, most likely, no one else you see is going to tell you about.


With the infection eradicated from my mouth, I am much more likely to notice the foul smell of periodontal disease in people I talk to.  One day I was in Home Depot buying something and had to talk to three different employees.  All three of them had the PD stench, easily detectible at normal conversation distance.  I am sure none of them knew they had a problem, much less that they could lose their teeth, or their life, from it.


 So while I am a lawyer, not a doctor, I am urging all my relatives and friends to get a Water-Pik (the model with the largest reservoir, pictured below) and do what I am doing, whether you think they need it or not.  I use it with the Listerine/HP mix 3 - 4 times a week.  I think everyone in the world should do it no less often than every 3 days, more often if you know or suspect you have any gum disease at all, and of course continue regular brushing.  I use string floss now only if I do not have access to my Water-Pik for some reason.




I put about 1/4" of Listerine* in the clear reservoir, then about that much hydrogen peroxide.  The remainder is warm water.  After use I spit a few times to get rid of the chemicals, but I do not rinse, as I want the chemicals that were jetted under my gums to stay there for a while, killing bacteria.  I run some clean water thru the Water-Pik after each use to remove the chemicals from the pump and seals, and drain the hose.  The whole treatment takes 3 - 4 minutes.

*  [5/17/25 edit:  Once I was certain I had gotten rid of the infection in my gum I cut down to about 1/8" of Listerine in the reservoir and about the same amount of HP.  Seems to be working just as well.]

The periodontist who comes in about the middle of the following short video says pretty much what I say -- if you do not do anything else at least put some Listerine in an irrigation device (Water-Pik) and use it regularly:


3 Easy Ways to Prevent Gum Disease at Home!! 

The Water-Pik folks know all about the value of adding the anti-bacterial chemicals to the water, but because the WP is a "medical device" the FDA will fine them if they claim use cures or remedies anything, which requires expensive scientific study to prove efficacy and safety.  However, I am not affiliated with WP or selling anything so I am free to say whatever I want to whomever I want.  DO THIS!


Of course, everyone should consult his/her dental professional before doing anything, blah blah.  I asked on my 3rd or 4th visit back to see Dentist #2 if I was their only patient putting Listerine in a Water-Pik and they said no, they had a couple of others.  But that is how medical professionals work (mainly because of liability concerns) -- until something has solid science behind it they are not going to recommend it to patients even if they are doing it themselves at home.  They will not mention it -- you have to bring it up.


And while I hate to be crass and point out finances, they are all making a TON of money selling teeth cleanings and, especially, implants/bone grafts.


A handful out of thousands of patients doing what I am doing is not nearly enough.  To me this is the single most important thing millions of people could do to improve their overall health, and it is very easy and inexpensive.  But from my experience and discussions with many friends, I'd say you are highly unlikely to hear about it at your dentist's office, or from your cardio if you end up there.


The Water-Pik pictured above is available at just about every major pharmacy in the country for about $70.  Put the plain, 45-degree nozzle on.  Practice operating it with plain water until you are confident you can use it without spraying the chemicals all over your bathroom.  Once you are ready to start irrigating, start with the pump set at about half-throttle and work up over the next few days.  Ever since shortly after I started this regimen I have run mine on full-throttle.  The last time I saw the dental hygienist she said, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it -- your gum-health is fantastic!"


In several decades of seeing dentists and hygienists none had ever told me anything like that before.
During the year or so before I started doing the WP irrigation I had some teeth get so tight together it was hard to get a piece of floss in between them, and others had too much space in between them.  That had never happened to me before.  Now, after regular irrigation, they have all evened back out.


None of this was coincidence.


And if rotten teeth, stench-breath, heart disease and dementia were not enough to convince you . . . 


Gum Disease Bacteria Linked to Head and Neck Cancers
 Newsmax, 9.26.24
"Bacteria that causes gum disease can also raise a person’s risk of head and neck cancers, a new study says.


"More than a dozen bacterial species have been linked to a collective 50% increased risk of head and neck cancer, researchers found."


https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/gum-disease-mouth/2024/09/26/id/1181854/

[12/15/24 UPDATE:  I went back to Dentist #2 for a checkup and to get a new x-ray of that tooth (rear-most molar).  Here it is, on the right (tooth next to it is crowned -- there was never any infection in it).  Dentist said it looks great -- no sign of infection and my gums have healed well.  He called it a "miracle tooth."]



02/01/25 Update:
Great article about the benefits flossing has on heart health -- what I have been saying for some years now, except that irrigation flossing with the chemicals is way better than string-flossing.


https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/flossing-stroke-atrial-fibrillation/2025/01/31/id/1197282/


The unexpected dangers of gum disease

Gum disease is common and unpleasant, but, according to a growing body of evidence, it could also play a role in a surprising range of seemingly unrelated health problems.



Good luck and enjoy your Water-Pik.  See your dentist regularly to be sure what you are doing is helping your gums and teeth. Share this page with whomever you love!

Ralph Cushman
Anchorage, Alaska
al.bonkers49@gmail.com


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