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...

2 days ago

On HALO