More than 30 years ago it became apparent to us that we dentists should think of the periodontium, that is, the gums and the tissues supporting the teeth, as the periodontal "window" into the body. That is, a physiological window into the vascular system, even more immediate than the digestive system, as when nitroglycerin is held under the tongue to ward off heart problems. The periodontal tissues absorb it instantly and the heart’s response is immediate and effective. Likewise, this is the case with absorbable chemicals that are held in the mouth for any length of time.
This is certainly the case with this long-term calcium therapy of the periodontium. When we present this concept at a dental conventions it is met with confusion, as if the periodontium were not a highly active and integral part of the body’s biological system. Obviously the periodontium is, and we can choose to look into it as a "window" with access to the vascular system of the body.
We have long known that the monthly calcium periodontal therapy certainly helps the periodontium without side-effects. The patients benefit from regular, consistent, low-level doses of calcium, and may have significant, positive benefits in the prevention of osteoporosis.
One of the most common comments from Calcium Therapy patients is that they feel better, and that makes sense. So does the Peridontal "Window."
Although this concept was presented to a renowned physicians in the field of osteoporosis, the treatment of choice for this crippling disease remains: drink milk and don’t fall. Recent medical research indicates that chewing aspirin at the onset of a heart attack (severe chest pains and radiation of pain down the left arm) can prevent the attack enough to get emergency care. This would seem to be primarily due to the uptake of the aspirin by the oral tissues (the periodontium), just like placing nitroglycerin under the tongue for the same reason. Our contention was, and remains, that there are other chemicals like calcium and zinc that can be introduced into the body in a very rapid, efficient and safe fashion utilizing the Periodontal "Window".
This arena of research is wide open and quite plausible for dental as well as medical inquiry. Think of insulin for diabetics, nicotine to combat smoking dependency, other cardiovascular conditions, and more. There may be many chemicals that can be incorporated into these compounds that will sustain their active properties over long periods of time in a mild dosage, and enter the blood stream by way of the highly vascular periodontium.