Does a tooth infection cause heart problems or damage your valves?

Dentition: Poor dental hygiene has been associated with coronary artery disease.

Yes: In rare cases, infections of lower back teeth can allow spread of the infection down the neck, into the chest, and around the heart. This can be deadly. In a different way gum disease (which is an infection around the teeth) can affect the heart as it seeds the bloodstream with the bacteria that cause coronary artery disease--the main cause of heart attacks.

Endocarditis: Is a rare complication of bacteria affecting damaged, prosthetic or congenitally abnormal heart valves which is why antibiotic prophylaxis is sometimes indicated.