The Bacteria In Your Mouth Are Destroying Your Heart

Scientists found oral bacteria in stroke patients’ blood clots. Here’s what you need to know and my complete protocol.

In 2019, researchers found something disturbing in the blood clots they pulled from stroke patients. They found bacteria. Not just any bacteria. Specific strains that come from your mouth.

These weren’t random contaminants. The same oral bacteria showed up in clot after clot, stroke after stroke. The bacteria came from people’s mouths and ended up in their blood clots.

That discovery opened a floodgate. Research teams across the world started looking for oral bacteria in places they shouldn’t be. They found them in the fatty deposits clogging arteries. In heart attack patients. In the blood of people with cardiovascular disease.

A January 2025 study in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes traced the entire pathway from mouth to gut to heart. The research showed oral bacteria migrate to the gut, trigger body-wide inflammation, disrupt metabolism, and damage blood vessels. This process is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and clogged arteries.

Another 2025 study published in Atherosclerosis analyzed data from NHANES 2009-2019. Lower oral microbiome diversity (fewer types of mouth bacteria) predicted death from all causes in US adults.

Your mouth isn’t just a mirror of your tooth health. Research suggests your oral bacteria may influence your lifespan too.

The Oral-Systemic Connection Nobody Talks About

Your oral cavity houses the second largest microbial community in your body after your gut. Over 700 species of bacteria colonize your teeth, tongue, gums, cheeks, and throat. In a healthy mouth, these microbes exist in balance.

That balance breaks down with age, poor diet, medications, and chronic disease. When it breaks, pathogenic bacteria take over. These bacteria produce inflammatory compounds, enter your bloodstream, and may seed themselves throughout your body.

The mechanisms work through three pathways:

Direct bacteremia: Oral bacteria enter your bloodstream through bleeding gums, tooth brushing, flossing, or dental procedures. Once in circulation, they can colonize arterial plaques, heart valves, and other tissues.

Bacterial metabolites: Pathogenic oral bacteria can alter gut bacteria composition, which may increase production of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a compound that accelerates atherosclerosis. They also generate inflammatory lipopolysaccharides that trigger chronic systemic inflammation.

Oral-gut translocation: You swallow about 1.5 liters of saliva per day. Every swallow carries oral bacteria into your gut. Pathogenic oral species can colonize the intestines, disrupt the gut microbiome, and damage intestinal barrier integrity.

A May 2025 review in ScienceDirect documented how oral microbiota dysbiosis connects to Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and aspiration pneumonia in older adults. Yikes.

The Specific Bacteria That Predict Death

Not all oral bacteria cause problems. Some are protective. Others are neutral. A few specific species drive disease and early death.

Porphyromonas gingivalis: This bacterium lives in the pockets around diseased gums and produces enzymes that destroy the tissue holding your teeth in place. It shows up in the fatty deposits clogging arteries and appears more often in people who have heart attacks and strokes. Animal studies show it accelerates atherosclerosis even in the absence of gum disease.

Streptococcus mutans: Known for causing cavities, this species also produces inflammatory compounds that enter circulation. Research links it to increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Campylobacter rectus: These pathogens contribute to chronic inflammation and show up in patients with heart disease.

Fusobacterium nucleatum: This oral bacterium can colonize the gut and other tissues. Studies show it’s present in some colorectal tumors and may contribute to cancer progression.

A 2025 study published in Communications Medicine found that men with lower oral microbiome diversity had significantly higher carotid intima-media thickness (a marker of atherosclerosis) compared to men with higher diversity. Women showed a weaker association, suggesting sex-specific effects.

The same study found oral microbiome diversity associated with cardiovascular mortality independent of traditional risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes.

The Cardiovascular Connection

Your oral microbiome affects your cardiovascular system through multiple mechanisms beyond direct bacterial invasion.

Oral bacteria produce enzymes that degrade the glycocalyx (the protective layer on blood vessel walls). This damage allows cholesterol particles to penetrate the arterial wall where they can become oxidized and contribute to plaque formation.

Pathogenic oral bacteria trigger systemic inflammation by releasing lipopolysaccharides and other inflammatory compounds. Chronic low-grade inflammation accelerates atherosclerosis, damages blood vessels, and increases clot formation.

Some oral bacteria interfere with nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and protects against high blood pressure. Eliminating nitrate-reducing oral bacteria (they help make nitric oxide) through antibacterial mouthwash raises blood pressure.

A December 2025 study in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology found distinct blood and oral microbiome profiles in heart attack patients compared to healthy controls. The oral dysbiosis preceded the cardiovascular events.

The Alzheimer’s Link

Porphyromonas gingivalis (the periodontal pathogen) shows up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The bacterium produces toxic enzymes called gingipains that damage neurons and accelerate cognitive decline.

Research published in 2019 found gingipains in the brains of deceased Alzheimer’s patients. A 2025 review confirmed this finding and showed oral bacteria may cross the blood-brain barrier and potentially contribute to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

The mechanism involves bacterial infiltration through the bloodstream or via cranial nerves. Once in the brain, these bacteria trigger chronic inflammation, disrupt the blood-brain barrier, and accelerate protein aggregation (the clumping of proteins that forms the plaques and tangles characteristic of Alzheimer’s).

Poor oral health in midlife predicts cognitive decline decades later. The longer you carry pathogenic oral bacteria, the greater your dementia risk.

What Breaks Your Oral Microbiome

Several factors destroy oral bacteria balance:

Alcohol-based mouthwash: This kills beneficial bacteria along with pathogens. Regular use disrupts the oral microbiome and may increase blood pressure by eliminating nitrate-reducing bacteria that produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is essential for keeping your blood vessels relaxed and open, which maintains healthy blood pressure

Antibiotics: Broad-spectrum antibiotics wipe out oral bacteria indiscriminately. A single course can alter the oral microbiome for months.

High-sugar diet: Sugar feeds acid-producing bacteria like Streptococcus mutans. These bacteria create an acidic environment that favors pathogenic species and damages tooth enamel.

Smoking and vaping: Both disrupt the oral microbiome, reduce saliva production, and increase gum disease risk.

Medications: Antidepressants, antihistamines, blood pressure medications, and many others reduce saliva flow. Dry mouth allows pathogenic bacteria to flourish.

Chronic stress: This elevates cortisol, which suppresses immune function and allows oral pathogens to overgrow.

Poor oral hygiene: This encourages biofilm accumulation. Mature biofilms protect bad bacteria from antimicrobial compounds and immune cells.

A 2024 systematic review found daily tooth brushing and flossing reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and hypertension. These same practices decreased cardiovascular mortality compared to tooth brushing alone.

The Upgraded Oral Health Protocol

Most people brush their teeth twice daily and think that’s enough. It isn’t. The research shows specific interventions that actually change oral microbiome composition and reduce systemic disease risk.

I’ll share the complete oral microbiome protocol that longevity clinics use, including specific probiotic strains, timing, mechanical techniques, and the tools that actually work.

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