We all know the rule: see your dentist every six months for an exam and a cleaning. (And brush and floss daily!) But many people, due to phobias or a lack of dental insurance or both, don't go to the dentist as often as they should. Maybe these strange connections will convince you!

Dental care is about more than keeping your teeth clean and presentable. Gingivitis (swollen gums) leads to periodontitis, which is a chronic infection of your teeth and gums. Not only are your gums connected to the rest of your body through your circulatory system, they're also sitting right there in your mouth. When your gums are infected, you are constantly swallowing the bacterial byproduct of the infection. Periodontitis essentially creates a reservoir of harmful bacteria in your body.

Even more strange, what seems to be a secondary side effect of periodontitis - the inflammation - may actually turn out to be the primary disease agent. You may have heard a lot of health noise recently about "inflammation" being a problem in and of itself. The markers for inflammation in the bloodstream are correlated to a lot of otherwise un-linked diseases.

Most of the talk about the health effects of inflammation focuses on your diet. People are advised to avoid "inflammatory" foods like dairy, and seek out "anti-inflammatory" foods like green tea and whole grains.

But what if you could go one step further, and actually reduce the source of inflammation itself? An estimated 3.6% of the population suffers from gum disease. That's a pretty significant number if we give periodontitis the serious weight it deserves.

Diseases Linked to Gum Disease
1. Stroke
A study by the University of Heidelberg followed up with stroke victims to check their levels of gum disease. They found that people with severe periodontitis are 4.3 times more likely to suffer a stroke.

2. Heart Disease
The bacteria which cause plaque on your arteries are often the same as those which cause periodontal disease. Could the bacteria be migrating from your mouth to your heart? Researchers don't know, but it's a hot topic of research: gum disease doubles your likelihood of having coronary artery disease.

3. Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's patients are much more likely to suffer from gingivitis and periodontitis. Does gingivitis cause Alzheimer's, or vice versa? Researchers aren't sure, but the correlation is intriguing.

4. Premature/Low Birth Weight Babies
Pregnant mothers who suffer from periodontal disease often give birth early, and to smaller babies. It's not yet clear whether this is a cause-and-effect relationship, or if both problems have the same root causes (like poor nutrition and lack of health care).