Bacteria from gum disease can sometimes escape the mouth and show up in the bloodstream—even in people with healthy hearts—suggesting they might travel from your gums to other parts of your body.

Bacteria that cause gum disease are often found in the fatty buildups in your arteries—this suggests that poor oral health might be linked to heart disease, even though it doesn’t prove one causes the other.

Bacteria from gum disease can escape from your mouth into your bloodstream and may help cause calcium buildup in your heart arteries and valves, which can lead to heart problems.

Scientists found 11 types of bacteria in the blood that weren’t known to be linked to heart disease or gum problems—and these bacteria were much more or less common in people with early signs of clogged heart arteries than in healthy people.