Drop Dead Healthy

The Teeth

The Quest for the Perfect Smile

I’VE BEEN PUTTING OFF DEALING with my teeth for months. Like four out of five consumers, I fear dentists. I also have empathy for dentists, mind you. It can’t be fun being so loathed, to be the cod liver oil of the health care community.

But still I fear them. Perhaps it’s because I got off to a bad start with tooth care. I had an orthodontist in fifth grade who, in his own way, was as sadistic as Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man. He’d sing me off-key Hebrew songs as I sat there, powerless to protest. He also had a cruel selection of magazines in his waiting room: Instead of Highlights, he had several copies of Antiques magazine so all the eleven-year-olds could marvel at the Townsend cabinets.

But I can’t ignore my mouth forever. Because the annoying truth is, your teeth and gums are closely connected to the cardiovascular system. One study from Emory University found a significantly higher mortality rate—23 to 46 percent higher—among patients who suffered from periodontitis or gingivitis. Mouth bacteria—there are as many as a thousand types of it lurking in the cracks of your teeth—can seep into the blood and cause inflammation and hardening of the arteries.