Scientists think that when several mouth bacteria that cause gum disease show up together in clogged arteries, they team up to make the inflammation worse and the plaque more likely to break...

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 sometimes show up in your bloodstream, which means they might travel around your body — but just because they’re there doesn’t prove they’re causing heart artery clogging.