Even Whoopi Goldberg knows how important healthy gums are now...
Check out her YouTube video at the link below:

Click Here 

Some feel that healthy gums can increase one's life expectency by up to 8 to 10 years and maybe even more

 A growing body of research is finding that gum disease - sometimes called periodontal disease - can worsen numerous health problems. And it is not something that just affects a few people.  Eighty percent or eight out of ten adults have periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is linked to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, increased risk for some cancers, and low birth weight babies. We know that periodontal disease is life threatening and we, at the Advanced Institute for Oral Health and VIP Dream Smiles, take it very seriously. 
 
USC gerontologists Caleb Finch and Eileen Crimmins, who published a paper in the journal Science linking today's record life spans to lower rates of childhood infectious diseases, such as gum disease….
 
There are hundreds of different types of germs that inhabit your mouth. If you suffer from periodontal (or gum) disease, you have open wounds in your gums that allow these bacteria to enter directly into your blood stream and circulate throughout your body. Gums infected with periodontal disease are toxic reservoirs of disease causing bacteria.  The toxins produced by the bacteria attack the gums, ligaments, and bone surrounding the teeth to produce infected pockets that are similar to large infected wounds in your mouth.  The infected pockets provide access to the bloodstream allowing bacteria and their toxins to travel throughout your body.  Many of the bacteria normally found in the mouth enter your bloodstream … with the potential of creating disease in organs and systems.
 
Research has shown some links between periodontal disease and heart disease, ischemic stroke, respiratory disease, head and neck cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, and increased risk of preterm delivery.  Affter controlling for smoking and other risk factors, periodontal disease was significantly associated with an increased risk of lung, kidney, pancreatic and hematological (blood) cancers," Dr. Dominique Michaud of the Imperial College London and colleagues wrote in the journal Lancet Oncology.   Also…missing teeth and gum disease at an early age may be linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (and Dementia), researchers have found, bolstering the increasingly strong connection between early exposure to chronic inflammation and the degenerative brain disorder.

It is possible to have periodontal disease and have no warning signs. That is one reason why regular dental checkups and periodontal examinations are very important. Treatment methods depend upon the type of disease and how far the condition has progressed. Good oral hygiene at home is essential to help keep periodontal disease from becoming more serious or recurring. You don’t have to lose teeth to periodontal disease. Brush, clean between your teeth, eat a balanced diet, and schedule regular dental visits for a lifetime of healthy smiles.