Miami Dental

Friday, August 16, 2019

Alzheimer's Disease and Gum Disease Research

Good oral hygiene is essential for a lifetime of good health. That’s what we’ve been telling our patients for years at the Miami offices of Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk. Recently, new evidence has emerged of a connection between gum disease and another dangerous ailment: Alzheimer’s disease. It seems that preventing one may be the best way to prevent the other.


Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the bacteria species that causes tooth decay. As a defense against white blood cells, it secretes cell-killing toxins called gingipains. Scientists studying the brain and spinal fluid of people with Alzheimer’s disease found that their tissue samples included unusually large amounts of gingipains, and that the number was larger the more severe the Alzheimer’s symptoms had been. They also found that gingipains trigger the formation of neural plaque in animal test subjects.


This past May, another study was published that establishes that P. gingivaliscan move from the mouth to the brain in living people. Scientists believe that there are other factors that contribute to a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but that gum disease now appears to be a major one. We can help people suffering from periodontitis by providing them with deep cleanings and using specialized tools to measure gum disease’s progression. We also use powerful localized antibiotics to defeat P. gingivalis and its relatives.


Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rdSt, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, Miami Dental through a contact form.

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