system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELIF: What is the link between heart problems and teeth?
gpt
Bacteria can very easily enter the blood stream through the gums. Most of the blood vessels in the human body have one way valves that allow blood to flow one direction but not back the other way. This prevents blood from getting trapped in our limbs. The blood vessels in our head and neck don't have one way valves this makes it easier for bacteria get from the mouth to the heart. Also the route from the mouth to the heart is very short compared to other routes blood takes in the body. This means that our body doesn't have time to destroy the bacteria before it gets there. This is where the science gets a little foggy. We don't know exactly why there is a correlation between gum/tooth disease and heart disease but there is. The best theory I've heard goes as follows. There is plaque in our arteries. Not the same kind of plaque on your teeth, this plaque plaque is made up of cholesterols that bind together and attach to the arterial walls. This is what causes strokes and heart attacks when it completely blocks off arteries. It has been shown that people with gum/tooth disease have more of this plaque build up in the carotid artery. Samples of this plaque have shown that bacteria from the mouth ends up in these plaque deposits. The leading theory is that the bacteria grabs onto these cholesterols and plaque buildups and makes them larger and more potentially dangerous if the break free and go to the brain or heart where they can block the artery and cause a stroke or heart attack.