Final week, I used to be serving to my son-in-law repair a leaky faucet of their kitchen.
The issue? A worn-out rubber gasket. It was purported to create a watertight seal, however after years of use, it had degraded—and now water was leaking in every single place.
“If we don’t exchange this,” I instructed him, “you’re not simply coping with a drip. You’re coping with water harm behind the partitions.”
As we labored, I thought of my sufferers who ignore bleeding gums.
Your gums are your physique’s gasket. And when that seal breaks down, it’s not simply your mouth that suffers—it’s like a blown head gasket in an engine. You begin shedding energy. Efficiency drops. And ultimately, the entire system breaks down.
However most individuals don’t notice their gasket is failing till it’s too late.
Your Gums Are a Gasket—And Right here’s Why That Issues
Take into consideration a head gasket in your automotive. When it’s intact, it seals the combustion chamber and retains every little thing working easily. However when it blows? The engine begins shedding compression, mixing fluids that ought to keep separate, and burning oil. Efficiency plummets.
Your gums do the very same factor in your physique.
Wholesome gums kind a decent seal—known as the sulcular epithelium—round every tooth, about 1-3mm deep. When that seal is unbroken, micro organism keep above the gumline the place saliva, your tongue, and brushing can handle them.
However when that gasket breaks down, micro organism migrate under the gumline, into the periodontal pocket. And as soon as they’re there, they’re in direct contact along with your bloodstream by means of the skinny tissue lining your gums.
That is if you begin shedding energy.
Your immune system goes into overdrive preventing a battle it may by no means win. Persistent irritation turns into your baseline. And identical to a automotive with a blown head gasket, your entire system begins to endure.
What Occurs When the Gasket Fails
When your gum seal degrades, right here’s the cascade:
1. Micro organism colonize under the gumline
These aren’t the identical micro organism that trigger cavities. These are anaerobic, gram-negative micro organism that thrive in low-oxygen environments and produce potent endotoxins.
2. Your immune system mounts a power inflammatory response
Your physique sends white blood cells to battle the an infection, however as a result of the micro organism are protected within the pocket, the battle by no means ends. This creates power irritation—and it drains your power identical to a blown gasket drains your engine’s energy.
3. The irritation breaks down the bone and tissue holding your enamel
Over time, the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone dissolve. Your enamel actually lose their basis.
4. Inflammatory mediators enter your bloodstream
Right here’s the place it will get severe: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) flood into your circulation. These identical inflammatory markers are implicated in:
- Heart problems
- Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
- Diabetes (bidirectional relationship—every worsens the opposite)
- Being pregnant problems (2.17x greater pre-eclampsia threat)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sure cancers
5. Oral micro organism are present in atherosclerotic plaques We’ve truly recovered Porphyromonas gingivalis and different periodontal pathogens from arterial plaques in coronary heart illness sufferers. The connection isn’t simply inflammatory—it’s microbial.
After I inform my sufferers, “Your gums are the gateway to your complete physique,” that is what I imply.
A failing gasket doesn’t simply leak a bit of—it compromises every little thing downstream.
The Gasket Take a look at: The right way to Know If Yours Is Failing
Most individuals assume their gums are high quality as a result of they’re not in ache.
However gum illness is basically painless till it’s extreme. So right here’s how you can verify:
✅ Do your gums bleed if you floss? That is the #1 signal your gasket is compromised. Wholesome gums don’t bleed.
✅ Do you see redness or puffiness on the gumline? Infected gums look swollen and glossy, not agency and pink.
✅ Are you able to see extra of your tooth than you used to? Gum recession = a loosening seal.
✅ Do you’ve got unhealthy breath that doesn’t go away with brushing? Persistent halitosis typically alerts bacterial colonization under the gumline.
✅ Has it been greater than 6 months since your final cleansing? Even with good house care, you can not attain under the gumline. Skilled cleanings are non-negotiable.
In the event you answered sure to any of those, your gasket is leaking—and also you’re shedding energy.
How I Preserve My Gasket Intact (And What You Ought to Do Too)
I’m 66, and my gums are as wholesome now as they have been in my 30s. I plan to maintain them that manner for one more 30+ years.
Right here’s my each day protocol for sustaining that seal:
1. Floss Each Single Evening I take advantage of PFAS-free floss and I floss earlier than brushing so the toothpaste can attain in between the enamel (gums are likely to inflame much less when this occurs as a result of that’s the place all of the gunk builds up, usually.)
2. Use a Nano-Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste Nano-hydroxyapatite helps rebuild enamel, and by decreasing floor roughness the place micro organism can disguise, it not directly helps the well being of the gum seal, all with out fluoride, surfactants, and important oils that disrupt the oral microbiome. That is the one I co-created, when no toothpaste met my standards.
3. Scrape My Tongue Each day The tongue is a reservoir for micro organism. In the event you’re not eradicating it, you’re recolonizing your gums day by day.
4. Keep away from Antiseptic Mouthwashes Listerine, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide—they nuke your oral microbiome, together with the useful micro organism that produce nitric oxide and assist gum well being.
5. Assist My Oral Microbiome With Probiotics I take an oral probiotic with Streptococcus salivarius strains—these assist crowd out pathogenic micro organism and assist a balanced microbial surroundings.
That is the oral probiotic I take.
6. CoQ10 for Mobile Power in Gum Tissue
Your gums are extremely metabolically energetic—always rebuilding, defending, therapeutic. That takes large quantities of mobile power. CoQ10 is completely important for mitochondrial operate, and gum tissue is full of mitochondria.
Research present that CoQ10 supplementation considerably improves gum well being, decreasing pocket depth and irritation. This makes good sense: your gums can’t preserve that tight gasket seal with out the power to take action.
That is the CoQ10 I take each day.
7. Vitamin C for Collagen Manufacturing Your gums are made from collagen. With out enough vitamin C, that tissue breaks down. Scurvy—the illness brought on by vitamin C deficiency—actually causes your gums to collapse.
Even subclinical deficiency weakens gum tissue and makes it simpler for micro organism to breach the seal.
I be certain I’m getting not less than 500-1000mg each day by means of meals and dietary supplements. By the best way, Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that for efficacy it’s important to take thrice per day.
That is the Vitamin C I take each day.
8. Get Skilled Cleanings Each 3-6 Months
Even with impeccable house care, you can not take away calculus (hardened plaque) by yourself. And as soon as it’s there, it turns into a scaffold for extra micro organism.
You probably have energetic gum illness, you could must see a periodontist or a hygienist skilled in scaling and root planing.
9. Handle Mouth Respiratory and Sleep Points
Mouth respiration dries out your gums, decreasing saliva’s protecting results and making it simpler for micro organism to colonize.
In the event you snore, wake with a dry mouth, or have been instructed you cease respiration at evening, discover a sleep specialist by means of AADSM.org or my Practical Dentist Listing.
Airway well being and gum well being are inseparable.
10. Complement for Gum Energy
Your gums live tissue that wants:
- Vitamin C (collagen manufacturing) – I take this one.
- Vitamin K2 (helps bone and gentle tissue) – I take this one, with D3.
- Omega-3s (anti-inflammatory) – I take cod liver oil each day for this.
- Magnesium (helps tissue restore) – I take this one.
11. Drink Inexperienced Tea Each day
The micro organism that trigger gum illness—Porphyromonas gingivalis—produce an enzyme known as collagenase that actually breaks down the collagen in your gum seal. It’s like spraying acid on a rubber gasket.
Inexperienced tea catechins, particularly EGCG, instantly inhibit this collagenase exercise. They cease micro organism from attaching to your gums and neutralize the enzymes that degrade your seal.
I drink 2-3 cups of natural inexperienced tea each day. This one is my favourite.
Your gasket is working exhausting for you. Don’t wait till it blows to start out defending it.
To your nice well being,
Mark
Additional Studying & Citations
Dadkhah A, et al. “The Impact of Coenzyme Q10 on Periodontitis: A Systematic Evaluate and Meta-Evaluation of Scientific Trials.” Journal of Prosthodontics. 2022 Mar;31(S1):e21-e31.
Fernandez MDS, et al. “Scientific efficacy of adjunctive use of coenzyme Q10 in non-surgical periodontal therapy: A scientific evaluation.” European Journal of Oral Sciences. 2025 Apr;133(2):e70002.
Effectiveness of CoQ10 Oral Dietary supplements as an Adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing in Bettering Periodontal Well being. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology. 2015.
Janket SJ, Baird AE, Chuang SK, Jones JA. Meta-analysis of periodontal illness and threat of coronary coronary heart illness and stroke. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2003 Could;95(5):559-69.
Blaizot A, Vergnes JN, Nuwwareh S, Amar J, Sixou M. Periodontal ailments and cardiovascular occasions: meta-analysis of observational research. Int Cardiovasc Discussion board J. 2009
Fu YD et al. Meta Evaluation of the Correlation between Periodontal Well being and Cognitive Impairment within the Older Inhabitants. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2024
Sgolastra F, Petrucci A, Severino M, Gatto R, Monaco A. Relationship between Periodontitis and Pre-Eclampsia: A Meta-Evaluation. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(8):e71387.
Le QA et al. Periodontitis and Preeclampsia in Being pregnant: A Systematic Evaluate and Meta-Evaluation. Matern Little one Well being J. 2022 Dec;26(12):2419-2443.
Stöhr J, Barbaresko J, Neuenschwander M, Schlesinger S. Bidirectional affiliation between periodontal illness and diabetes mellitus: a scientific evaluation and meta-analysis of cohort research. Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 1;11(1):13686.