Just got back yet again from the dentist, so I figure I should warn you about gum disease, a problem I’ve been plagued with my entire adult life. Gum disease, or gingivitis, has 2 known awful consequences, and perhaps another more serious one.

The potential serious consequence is that chronic gum disease may lead to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. The theory is that any chronic inflammation, including even perhaps chronic gum disease, is a potential source of proteins or perhaps organisms that might harm blood vessels elsewhere in the body. Two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for example, found much higher blood levels of 2 proteins linked to chronic inflammation in the blood of people who had had heart attacks.

That aside, however, for me the most horrible known consequence of gingivitis is that it forces me to visit the dentist very often, and believe me, folks, even listening to Celine Dion is easier to take. Well, maybe not, but it’s close.

Even if it doesn’t kill you or torture you, though, gingivitis is still no laughing matter because of what it can do to your teeth.

Mild gingivitis usually produces no symptoms, but as the disease progresses, the gums get sore and bleed more easily when brushed.

Left unattended, gingivitis usually goes on to periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation of the structures – tiny ligaments and bone tissue – that anchor your teeth, meaning that eventually your teeth loosen and you are faced with the choice of either costly implants or a set of uppers and lowers to park by your bedside at night.

The good news, though, is that even though gingivitis is to a certain extent a genetic problem (if you think my gums are bad, you should see my mom’s gums, although on second thought, maybe not), you can still do much to prevent it, or at least minimize its consequences.

First, there’s the same old, same old – a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise, no smoking, moderate alcohol intake at most, and, of course, eating a good diet starting with lots of fruits and veggies, especially perhaps those rich in vitamin C.

Some experts also cite studies that support the use of calcium to help your gums, but I’m not too impressed by that evidence, not to mention that several studies have linked high calcium intake to a higher risk of prostate cancer, an end result that’s clearly more of a concern for most men than loss of teeth.

Then there’s flossing. You should floss at least once a day, and make sure you use proper technique. Many flossers merely wave the floss between their teeth – to do it right, you actually have to get in to that gum.

Finally, even if you don’t have evident gum disease, you should still often get your teeth cleaned and your gums looked at by a dentist, although you should definitely try to avoid my fate: long-time held hostage by a guy who cracks himself up every time he makes the same stupid joke: “Art, your teeth are great, but your gums have to come out.”

I’d bite the sucker’s fingers off, if he’d only loosen that damn dam enough.