My guess is that it is either because you are compelled to do so by law, or (if you live in the U.S.) you believe the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), who claim that seat belts save about 13,000 lives a year, nationwide.
The few seconds it takes you to snap on your seat belt buckle reduces the chance of dying in a car crash by 45%, and of being injured by about half. Nevertheless, seat belts are not likely to play a big role in saving your life, because chances are you won’t find yourself in a serious automobile accident. Let’s face it, fortunately, most people never find themselves in that circumstance.
On the other hand, gum disease (either gingivitis or periodontal disease) affects up to 80 percent of the population.
In other articles, you may have heard that periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults. The shocking reality is that this is probably the least notable consequence of periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease is a significant risk factor for stroke, heart disease, certain respiratory problems, low birth-weight infants, and some forms of cancer.
While very few people will die in a car crash, a great deal more will die from a heart attack, stroke, or cancer. Addressing periodontal disease via preventive techniques can significantly reduce your chances of dying from any one of these afflictions.
If this simple logic is not enough to convince you of the need to brush after meals, floss daily and eat a healthy diet, it may help you to know that over the past few decades, there have been hundreds of peer-reviewed medical studies published in journals showing periodontal disease to be a risk factor for heart attacks.
While periodontal disease is certainly not the only factor in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases or cancer, there is definitely a link. The modern thinking regarding the connection has to do with the long-term inflammatory nature of gum disease. In simple terms, periodontal disease is a bacterial infection of the gums and bone supporting the teeth. As with most any infection in the body, this leads to inflammation.
Often having no symptoms that are detectable by the patient, bacteria from periodontal disease can affect blood vessels on the walls of your heart. If you have gum disease, the bacteria can easily invade the blood stream through one of many open portals. Let’s face it, it is a relatively short trip from the mouth to the heart after all.
Bacteria in the blood may also stimulate liver production of C-reactive proteins and fibrinogen. Both these substances have been linked to heart attacks.
Persons who successfully treated their periodontal disease have also been shown to experience improved cholesterol levels and demonstrated lowered blood pressure. Most readers will recognize these as factors frequently associated with cardiovascular disease.
The bottom line: while we generally don’t hesitate to snap on a seat belt because it may save our lives, not enough of the population understand that oral health basics save more lives than buckling-up! Added benefits? Saving teeth (which leads to better digestion and less need for heartburn medications), fresher breath, and avoiding painful toothaches or complicated dental procedures — which also translates to more dollars in your pocket.
In an ideal world we wouldn’t get cavities, have gum problems, or ever lose a tooth. Perhaps, the world might not be ideal, even then, but at least we wouldn’t have those problems.
Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that many people do lose their teeth – either to tooth decay or periodontal disease – and then require tooth replacements. Despite the growing popularity and acceptance of dental implants as prosthetic tooth substitutes, removable dentures still constitute the most common solution to missing teeth.
If a person still has some natural teeth, they may get what we term a “removable partial denture.” If they have lost all of their teeth, typically they will get a full denture. A commonly observed problem, however, is that once the dentures are made, patients tend to wear them far beyond the point where the denture continues to function well. A little background regarding the problem with dentures may help clarify why this is so:
Some people think that if they get rid of all of their teeth and get dentures they will finally see an end to their dental problems. This is far from reality. Actually, what happens is that patients simply trade one set of dental problems for another. While many patients will tell you that they eat just fine with their dentures, it has probably been so long since they had their real teeth, they have forgotten what it is like to eat normally.
What are some of the disadvantages of wearing dentures?
You lose up to 50% of your biting force.
A full upper denture covers your palate and interferes with your ability to taste your food.
Dentures can move when you eat, speak, cough, or sneeze.
Food accumulates around your dentures after a meal.
Sore spots can develop when the hard denture rubs against your gums.
Patients with an active gag reflex may not be able to even wear a denture without feeling as though they will gag.
Multiple relines of the denture may be required as the shape of your mouth changes. This can happen as a result of gaining or losing weight, or as a result of bone shrinkage and aging.
Atrophy of the upper or lower jaws can make it impossible to develop suction with the denture.
How long do they last?
This is an interesting question, because it is not unusual to encounter patients who tell you their denture was made twenty or even thirty years ago. Believe me, at that point, they are seldom good-looking dentures! But it underscores something about denture wear that is not well understood.
Once a denture is made and, assuming it fits well at the time of delivery, most patients expect – and can experience – good retention and stability.
But the key point is – once made – the dentures don’t change. Yet your mouth can – and often does. New medications can also cause your mouth to become dry, leading to irritation and sore spots. Osteoporosis could lead to shrinkage of the jaw. Despite these changes, many patients attempt to make up for new problems with denture adhesives. Unfortunately, this can open the door to even more irritation, and denture creams containing zinc have even been linked to other health problems such as numbness, tingling and muscle weakness.
While relines can assist with these changes and correct the fit of your denture to improve retention, many patients would do well to consider re-making their dentures after about five years to seven years. In my experience, waiting too long beyond that time period can make the transition to a new denture more difficult.
200 Year-Old Denture
When the change is minimal, such as one might expect after about five years, the transition is generally quite easy. It also helps to have a spare denture for those “oops!” moments. Over the years, I have experienced patients dropping dentures into the sink while cleaning them, accidentally dropping them into garbage disposals, having dogs and cats chew them, and more. Patients will bite into hard objects and break a tooth, they take them out at night and sometimes sit on them, they get stepped on – and one, believe it or not, was even stolen! That was simply too strange a story to recount here.
If your denture is over five years old, talk to your dentist about whether it is time to reline or remake your denture. You will be glad you did.
There can be many contributory elements in the development of temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ). These can range from a misaligned bite, stress from clenching or grinding, to trauma — such as might result from an automobile accident, a blow to the head, or a fall. To this degree, spinal mis-alignments can also cause jaw-joint symptoms. TMJ pain may even be the result of bacterial infections. Each cause requires the appropriate solution. The following article written by a Minneapolis-based chiropractor highlights those aspects of the disorder that may benefit from chiropractic care.
By Dr. Passig
Back and neck pains are not the only the concern of chiropractors. There are other disorders that they deal with and one of these is temporomandibular joint disorder.
Temporomandibular joint disorder is characterized by distress or pain in the jaw muscles and joints. Some experience it briefly while a few experience interminable symptoms.
Following are the signs of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder
Soreness that extends to the face, neck and shoulders.
Limited jaw movements.
Grating sounds when opening and closing the mouth.
Dizziness, headaches, ear pain and hearing difficulties and eating and drinking difficulties.
TMJ disorder is categorized as follows:
Tenderness of the jaw, neck and shoulder muscles known as myofascial tenderness.
Dislocated jaw or disc.
Weakening joint condition like rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.
The reasons or origins of TMJ
Physical stress. TMJ is more prominent among women than men because of their fondness for high-heeled shoes. Long hours of sitting also lead to the development of TMJ. Both of these situations affect one’s posture.
Emotional stress. Most people who are undergoing emotional stress have the tendency to clench their teeth.
TMJ can also result from injuries such as receiving a blow on the jaw, one-sided chewing and gum chewing.
To evaluate the existence of temporomandibular disorder, the chiropractor puts his 3 fingers inside the patient’s mouth and asks him to bit on his fingers. The patient is also requested to open and close his mouth and to chew continuously. By doing this, the chiropractor will be able to assess the dimensions of the patient’s joints as well as the steadiness of his jaw muscles. An MRI of the jaw will be requested if no difficulty was seen in the aforementioned procedure.
Managing TMF via Chiropractic
Patient will be taught the proper way of using cold and hot compress.
He will also be taught how to massage the jaw joints and to do specific exercises.
Patient will likewise be advised to refrain from doing hard jaw movements like grinding on meat or chomping an apple.
If the patient did not respond to the aforementioned management, he will be asked to see a dentist or orthodontist to undergo dental surgery or intervention. This is because the temporomandibular joint disorder may be caused by a poor set of teeth.
Take time to visit a chiropractor should you feel any hardening on your jaw muscles that are brief or constantly occurring. Remember, it is always better to treat a forthcoming disease in its early stage than letting it get worst.
Essential oils have many benefits, from curing athlete’s foot or controlling fungal infections, to helping with gingivitis. The article below discusses tea tree oil — also known as melaleuca oil. Many patients in our office have benefited from the essential oils present in two products available for purchase in our office: Tooth and Gums Tonic and Tooth and Gums Paste. Used properly, natural remedies can be of great benefit, without many of the side effects associated with traditional cures.
Dr. Walicki
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Natural Ways to Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthy
By Kathy Jenkins
Whether you’re trying to cure a toothache, make your teeth whiter or prevent gum disease, there are many natural remedies that can be helpful in between visits to the dentist. Eating right, and brushing and flossing your teeth are certainly important, but there are numerous other methods available that can give your oral health a boost. Among these are herbs, oils, and the like. We will be giving you a few examples you may choose to follow that can give your oral hygiene a positive boost.
Going to the dentist is something that most of us would like to avoid. But if your teeth hurt right now, that is exactly where you should go. One such instance is if you have an abscessed tooth. This is a potentially serious condition where your tooth gets infected, and this can spread to other parts of your body. There are many symptoms that can be associated with this circumstance, including a bitter taste in your mouth and a swollen neck or jaw. Antibiotics from your dentist will usually help to control or get rid of the infection. Typically, your doctor will also prescribe pain medication for any discomfort you are feeling. An emergency room may be your best bet for getting relief from an abscessed tooth, especially if you are lacking dental insurance or the funds to cover your bill.
Natural antibiotics exist, and tea tree oil is considered one of them. Because it has powerful healing properties doesn’t mean you can take it without following directions, and if it says not to take it internally, you shouldn’t. If you need a good toothpaste or mouthwash, you should consider tea tree oil. It can also be useful in controlling gingivitis. Rinse your mouth with a small amount in a glass of water, because it can be too strong undiluted. If you are looking for the safest way to use tea tree oil then get a mouthwash or toothpaste which already contains it, or some other commercially prepared product. This works really well for giving you fresher breath as well as help to prevent gum disease. A product with tea tree oil in it can be harmful if you swallow it, so use caution when rinsing and be careful not to administer it to children that might be prone to swallowing rather than rinsing and spitting.
There may be a dentist in your area who favors holistic techniques. Consult with them about natural ways to care for your teeth and gums. You may be surprised how many dentists can be found that have this orientation. Holistic dentists went to the same kind of dental schools as anyone else, but they focus on natural and holistic techniques and substances. If you need to have any filling done, a holistic dentist would never use a filling that’s mercury based. When you have this kind of dentist, you will always have someone to consult when it comes to natural ways to keep your mouth healthy. In some cases, you may have to travel a little further to find a good holistic dentist, depending on where you live. Our overall health is greatly affected by our mouth because it is often the first place where infections and toxins are likely to be found. If you can maintain clean teeth and gums, and you eat the right foods, you will be less likely to have many cavities. Hopefully the above will give you some orientation to alternative options, but keep in mind that it’s also necessary to get regular dental checkups.
Kathy Jenkins gives suggestion about your teeth as well as how to handle Angular Cheilitis (cracking at the corners of your mouth.) She also has a link to book I have not reviewed concerning the subject. Many cases of angular cheilitis can be resolved, however, by supplementing with vitamins B12, vitamin C, and zinc. An over-the-counter antibiotic cream may also help. Some cases of angular cheilitis are caused by ill-fitting dentures. This can only be remedied by having a new set of dentures made that fit properly. If you are interested in the book Kathy Jenkins references, you can find it here: Angular Cheilitis.
In a previous article, Foods That Are Bad For Your Teeth, I reviewed three broad categories of foods that can be detrimental to your dental health. These were sugars and sweeteners, low fat foods, and foods that contain white, especially bleached, flour.
With this article I would like to spend some time talking about an area that I feel receives entirely too little attention – whether by patients, or dentists, for that matter. Possibly, this comes about for the simple reason that by the time many patients arrive at the dentist they are looking for resolution of a specific problem. In this sense, the market has conditioned both patients and doctors into focusing upon the end-game.
This has its place and fills a need. Patients who are in pain do not generally want to hear about what they should be eating – they want to handle their pain. Yet, knowing what foods can repair teeth may be a key element in establishing their future long-term dental stability.
In today’s economic climate, health care has undergone many challenges and the consumer has been faced with high medical and dental costs. Consequently, health care is not infrequently reserved for the handling of emergencies. This is actually counter-productive, as emergency dental care is also expensive. Couple this with efforts by the patient to reduce costs, and the “treatment” may be a decision to remove the offending tooth. Later, when the patient starts to regret his choice and seeks tooth replacements, he may find that replacement costs are many times more than had they handled the problem once discovered.
Economics can also influence the quality of the food we consume. In an effort to save money many consumers will also select lowest cost items. These are typically quite profitable for the producer but are usually highly processed and very unprofitable for your health.
So what do you need to know?
Let’s start with this simple concept: If what you eat comes out of a box, a jar, a can, or a plastic wrapper, it has been processed.
Your diet is the single most important thing that you can control to create or maintain a healthy mouth. When you eat too many processed foods – especially those that contain sugars and bleached flour – you create effects that may not be immediately noticed by you. For example, the level of blood sugar can become elevated and with it a person can experience elevated cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal gland and is responsible for raising blood sugar. It also affects the flow of parotin (a salivary gland hormone) and, in so doing, can lead to cavities. Cortisol also counteracts insulin which regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body, and it slows down bone formation.
The inability to metabolize fats, in turn, can keep you from benefiting from the healthy foods that can help you to repair your teeth.
So, you see, it is a little like the children’s song “The foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone. And the ankle bone’s connected the leg bone.” The bottom line: what we do – or don’t do – can have unseen and unwanted effects when it comes to our diet and teeth.
Maintaining healthy hormones is very important to your dental health as well as to your general health. The relationship between demineralization and remineralization is balanced when hormones are healthy. When unbalanced, calcium and phosphorus can be pulled out of the blood and create deficiencies in our bones as well as the teeth. It can also create a condition wherein your body becomes excessively acidic. An acid environment is more receptive to the growth of bacteria and fungi. If there is one take-home message that you take out of this article it should be that real food – namely unprocessed food, as nature intended that it be consumed – will not only support your general health, but will also support your teeth.
What foods, then, are good for your teeth?
Proteins: Eat proteins in order to regulate blood sugar. As mentioned above, blood sugar fluctuations are one of the key reasons that we lose minerals. High quality proteins such as grass fed, or wild game are best. While I realize that this may pose a problem for vegetarians, it doesn’t alter the fact that the most productive stores of minerals, protein, and fats are derived from meats. Vegetarians must rely on eggs and cheese for their protein.
Foods with phosphorus: Possibly more important than calcium for your teeth, phosphorus can be obtained from milk and cheese. Raw, unpasteurized milk is best. Unless, strictly vegan, vegetarians should have no trouble getting their phosphorus from these sources. Other good sources of phosphorus include organ meats of both land animals and those from the sea. Muscle meats (most common meats consumed, i.e., not from organs such as liver or kidney, for example) are also a good source, as are beans and nuts. Organ meats have more phosphorus than muscle meats. Although present in some grains, the quantities can be insufficient or difficult to absorb, and this may not be the best choice for your teeth.
Trace minerals are important: In addition to phosphorus, the following deficiencies can also lead to problems with tooth decay – iron, copper, magnesium and manganese. Foods with iron include shellfish and organ meats. Copper is found in liver and mollusks. Smaller amounts exist in mushrooms. Magnesium can be found in fish, nuts, and spinach. Manganese, also important in the regulation of blood sugar, occurs in liver, kidneys (organ meats), mussels, nuts, and pineapple, to name a few sources. Other trace minerals may also play a role, but are too numerous to mention here.
Healthy fats: These are a great source of energy, but are also important to help maintain hormonal function and balance. Among the healthy fats are olive oil, butter, beef, chicken, pork and duck fat. Avocado and coconut oil are also healthy fats, especially if from organic sources. Vegetable fats do not generally contain the vitamins that help to re-build our teeth.
Fat soluble vitamins D and A: Simply put, without adequate stores of these two vitamins, we can’t get the calcium and phosphorus into our bones or teeth. People with tooth decay are typically lacking these two vitamins. Seafood is an excellent source of Vitamin D. If you don’t have easy access to seafood, or if you don’t like it, lard, or pork fat, will help. Suet, or beef fat appears to be more effective, however. Another excellent (and relatively simple) way to get Vitamin D is with daily exposure to sunlight. Consuming fermented cod liver oil is still another easy way to get Vitamin D into your diet.
Eating healthy is the single-most effective action you can take to protect your teeth – and your overall health. It is also one thing that you can control. Take the time to learn which foods can provide you with proteins, phosphorus, healthy fats, vitamins D and A, as well as trace minerals, and you will be well on your way to healthier teeth and gums!
Dr. Richard Walicki is a dentist practicing general and cosmetic dentistry. While we hope you find the information contained herein interesting and useful, this blog is for informational purposes and is not intended to diagnose any oral disease. Dental conditions should be evaluated by your dental health professional or a qualified specialist.
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