random factoid of the day, from kathrynt

[jenk]

Turns out that gingivitis bacteria release prostaglandins. Prostaglandins make your gums all soft and puffy and bleedy and bendy, which gives the bacteria more fun places to hide. But they get into your bloodstream (see: bleedy), and those same prostaglandins are the ones that ripen a pregnant woman's cervix and cause labor. So if the gum disease is bad enough, it can cause incompetent cervix and premature labor. If you google "pregnancy gingivitis premature" you'll find more info.
Source: from here

I've read that gum disease is implicated in heart problems as well...and I'm using a prescription toothpaste because my medication-induced dry mouth was creating cavities.

Funny how we persist in thinking that dental care is its own little separate world, eh?