Men With Bleeding Gums are TWICE as Likely to Suffer From Erectile Dysfunction

by DailyHealthPost Editorial

gum disease erectile dysfunction

It’s all connected. Every cell in your body. Nothing works in isolation.

A Turkish study on erectile dysfunction (ED) found that over half of the men (aged 30-40) with ED also had chronic periodontitis–gum disease.

“Huh?” You may ask. What’s the connection between up here and down there?

Your mouth is dark, moist, and warm–the ideal vacation spot for any bacterium.

Most of the microorganisms that live there are beneficial: they break down food at the start of the digestive process.

gum disease erectile dysfunction

With periodontitis, infection develops in your gums so you absorb and digest a great many detrimental bacteria which can then enter your bloodstream. Often gums bleed, providing direct access.

Infection in The Body

Part of what cells do when they face infection is attack the intruder, causing inflammation and pain. Heightened chronic inflammation caused by periodontitis pummels the arteries, causing them to harden. Hardened arteries = decreased blood flow.

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An erection requires healthy blood flow to attain and maintain; the blood vessels in that part of the body are small so if there is any obstacle to oxygenated blood, the tissues will be affected. Because of this, physicians have come to know that erectile dysfunction is often an indicator of heart disease.

Get Rid of the Gunk, and Everything Gets Better.

But there’s good news. Gum disease is preventable and treatable. It occurs as the result of poor oral hygiene, sometimes in company with other health problems like systemic and auto-immune diseases or inadequate nutrition.

When you don’t clean your teeth properly, plaque forms above, then below, the gumline. Bacteria like it dark so they’re all too happy to snuggle in to where you can’t reach them with a quick pass of a toothbrush.

If left to fester, your gums recognize there’s stuff there that shouldn’t be and !bing! you’ve got an infection. Untreated, you could lose your teeth (as well as your sex life).

Begin with a visit to the dentist to clean your teeth thoroughly (skip the fluoride treatment, no matter what the hygienist says). Daily attention, physical cleaning, herbal solutions, and/or vitamin supplementation can keep the plaque from re-forming and allow your gums to fully heal.

Then keep up the good work.

source:
[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02974.x/abstract

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