Swallowing dental plaque causes clotting and heart disease?

i bought a dentek dental pick and scaler hoping to keep my teeth extra healthy. after using the pick for a while, i noticed a disclaimer on the package which reads: "certain elements found in dental plaque may cause clotting and an increased risk of heart disease in some people." WHAT? a) what elements? b) why? and c) have i done myself a grave disservice in trying to clean my own teeth this once? yes, i'm a bit of a hypochondriac, but this information was surprising to me! does anyone have any insights? thanks in advance!