Last week, I was helping my son-in-law fix a leaky faucet in their kitchen.
The problem? A worn-out rubber gasket. It was supposed to create a watertight seal, but after years of use, it had degraded—and now water was leaking everywhere.
“If we don’t replace this,” I told him, “you’re not just dealing with a drip. You’re dealing with water damage behind the walls.”
As we worked, I thought about my patients who ignore bleeding gums.
Your gums are your body’s gasket. And when that seal breaks down, it’s not just your mouth that suffers—it’s like a blown head gasket in an engine. You start losing power. Performance drops. And eventually, the whole system breaks down.
But most people don’t realize their gasket is failing until it’s too late.
Your Gums Are a Gasket—And Here’s Why That Matters
Think about a head gasket in your car. When it’s intact, it seals the combustion chamber and keeps everything running smoothly. But when it blows? The engine starts losing compression, mixing fluids that should stay separate, and burning oil. Performance plummets.
Your gums do the exact same thing for your body.
Healthy gums form a tight seal—called the sulcular epithelium—around each tooth, about 1-3mm deep. When that seal is intact, bacteria stay above the gumline where saliva, your tongue, and brushing can manage them.
But when that gasket breaks down, bacteria migrate below the gumline, into the periodontal pocket. And once they’re there, they’re in direct contact with your bloodstream through the thin tissue lining your gums.
This is when you start losing power.
Your immune system goes into overdrive fighting a battle it can never win. Chronic inflammation becomes your baseline. And just like a car with a blown head gasket, your whole system starts to suffer.
What Happens When the Gasket Fails
When your gum seal degrades, here’s the cascade:
1. Bacteria colonize below the gumline
These aren’t the same bacteria that cause cavities. These are anaerobic, gram-negative bacteria that thrive in low-oxygen environments and produce potent endotoxins.
2. Your immune system mounts a chronic inflammatory response
Your body sends white blood cells to fight the infection, but because the bacteria are protected in the pocket, the battle never ends. This creates chronic inflammation—and it drains your energy just like a blown gasket drains your engine’s power.
3. The inflammation breaks down the bone and tissue holding your teeth
Over time, the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone dissolve. Your teeth literally lose their foundation.
4. Inflammatory mediators enter your bloodstream
Here’s where it gets serious: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) flood into your circulation. These same inflammatory markers are implicated in:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
- Diabetes (bidirectional relationship—each worsens the other)
- Pregnancy complications (2.17x higher pre-eclampsia risk)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Certain cancers
5. Oral bacteria are found in atherosclerotic plaques We’ve actually recovered Porphyromonas gingivalis and other periodontal pathogens from arterial plaques in heart disease patients. The connection isn’t just inflammatory—it’s microbial.
When I tell my patients, “Your gums are the gateway to your entire body,” this is what I mean.
A failing gasket doesn’t just leak a little—it compromises everything downstream.
The Gasket Test: How to Know If Yours Is Failing
Most people assume their gums are fine because they’re not in pain.
But gum disease is largely painless until it’s severe. So here’s how to check:
✅ Do your gums bleed when you floss? This is the #1 sign your gasket is compromised. Healthy gums don’t bleed.
✅ Do you see redness or puffiness at the gumline? Inflamed gums look swollen and shiny, not firm and pink.
✅ Can you see more of your tooth than you used to? Gum recession = a loosening seal.
✅ Do you have bad breath that doesn’t go away with brushing? Chronic halitosis often signals bacterial colonization below the gumline.
✅ Has it been more than 6 months since your last cleaning? Even with perfect home care, you cannot reach below the gumline. Professional cleanings are non-negotiable.
If you answered yes to any of these, your gasket is leaking—and you’re losing power.
How I Keep My Gasket Intact (And What You Should Do Too)
I’m 66, and my gums are as healthy now as they were in my 30s. I plan to keep them that way for another 30+ years.
Here’s my daily protocol for maintaining that seal:
1. Floss Every Single Night I use PFAS-free floss and I floss before brushing so the toothpaste can reach in between the teeth (gums tend to inflame less when this happens because that’s where all the gunk builds up, typically.)
2. Use a Nano-Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste Nano-hydroxyapatite helps rebuild enamel, and by reducing surface roughness where bacteria can hide, it indirectly supports the health of the gum seal, all without fluoride, surfactants, and essential oils that disrupt the oral microbiome. This is the one I co-created, when no toothpaste met my criteria.
3. Scrape My Tongue Daily The tongue is a reservoir for bacteria. If you’re not removing it, you’re recolonizing your gums every day.
4. Avoid Antiseptic Mouthwashes Listerine, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide—they nuke your oral microbiome, including the beneficial bacteria that produce nitric oxide and support gum health.
5. Support My Oral Microbiome With Probiotics I take an oral probiotic with Streptococcus salivarius strains—these help crowd out pathogenic bacteria and support a balanced microbial environment.
This is the oral probiotic I take.
6. CoQ10 for Cellular Energy in Gum Tissue
Your gums are highly metabolically active—constantly rebuilding, defending, healing. That takes massive amounts of cellular energy. CoQ10 is absolutely essential for mitochondrial function, and gum tissue is packed with mitochondria.
Studies show that CoQ10 supplementation significantly improves gum health, reducing pocket depth and inflammation. This makes perfect sense: your gums can’t maintain that tight gasket seal without the energy to do so.
This is the CoQ10 I take daily.
7. Vitamin C for Collagen Production Your gums are made of collagen. Without adequate vitamin C, that tissue breaks down. Scurvy—the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency—literally causes your gums to fall apart.
Even subclinical deficiency weakens gum tissue and makes it easier for bacteria to breach the seal.
I make sure I’m getting at least 500-1000mg daily through food and supplements. By the way, Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that for efficacy you have to take three times per day.
This is the Vitamin C I take daily.
8. Get Professional Cleanings Every 3-6 Months
Even with impeccable home care, you cannot remove calculus (hardened plaque) on your own. And once it’s there, it becomes a scaffold for more bacteria.
If you have active gum disease, you may need to see a periodontist or a hygienist trained in scaling and root planing.
9. Address Mouth Breathing and Sleep Issues
Mouth breathing dries out your gums, reducing saliva’s protective effects and making it easier for bacteria to colonize.
If you snore, wake with a dry mouth, or have been told you stop breathing at night, find a sleep specialist through AADSM.org or my Functional Dentist Directory.
Airway health and gum health are inseparable.
10. Supplement for Gum Strength
Your gums are living tissue that needs:
- Vitamin C (collagen production) – I take this one.
- Vitamin K2 (supports bone and soft tissue) – I take this one, with D3.
- Omega-3s (anti-inflammatory) – I take cod liver oil daily for this.
- Magnesium (supports tissue repair) – I take this one.
11. Drink Green Tea Daily
The bacteria that cause gum disease—Porphyromonas gingivalis—produce an enzyme called collagenase that literally breaks down the collagen in your gum seal. It’s like spraying acid on a rubber gasket.
Green tea catechins, especially EGCG, directly inhibit this collagenase activity. They stop bacteria from attaching to your gums and neutralize the enzymes that degrade your seal.
I drink 2-3 cups of organic green tea daily. This one is my favorite.
Your gasket is working hard for you. Don’t wait until it blows to start protecting it.
To your great health,
Mark
Further Reading & Citations
Dadkhah A, et al. “The Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.” Journal of Prosthodontics. 2022 Mar;31(S1):e21-e31.
Fernandez MDS, et al. “Clinical efficacy of adjunctive use of coenzyme Q10 in non-surgical periodontal treatment: A systematic review.” European Journal of Oral Sciences. 2025 Apr;133(2):e70002.
Effectiveness of CoQ10 Oral Supplements as an Adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing in Improving Periodontal Health. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology. 2015.
Janket SJ, Baird AE, Chuang SK, Jones JA. Meta-analysis of periodontal disease and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2003 May;95(5):559-69.
Blaizot A, Vergnes JN, Nuwwareh S, Amar J, Sixou M. Periodontal diseases and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis of observational studies. Int Cardiovasc Forum J. 2009
Fu YD et al. Meta Analysis of the Correlation between Periodontal Health and Cognitive Impairment in the Older Population. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2024
Sgolastra F, Petrucci A, Severino M, Gatto R, Monaco A. Relationship between Periodontitis and Pre-Eclampsia: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(8):e71387.
Le QA et al. Periodontitis and Preeclampsia in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Matern Child Health J. 2022 Dec;26(12):2419-2443.
Stöhr J, Barbaresko J, Neuenschwander M, Schlesinger S. Bidirectional association between periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 1;11(1):13686.