First of all, what the heck is vitamin P? First discovered around 1936, the term is hardly used anymore – except maybe euphemistically for Prozac (fluoxetine) – which you definitely don’t need, unless you like playing Russian roulette with your health. Prozac is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous drugs on the market. More about that some other time, perhaps.
But, real Vitamin P is better known today as a plant classification called flavonoids or bioflavonoids.
[Because of my interest in natural health, I subscribe to a number of health-related newsletters. One of them (and I recommend this newsletter to anyone interested in sensible health and nutrition) recently reminded me of a subject I have already written about on a number of occasions. Namely, the importance of controlling inflammation, actions one can take to do so, and the nutrients that can assist with this problem. The newsletter I’m referencing here is called Health Alert, by Dr. Bruce West. Much of what follows in this posting comes from that source. If you are interested in subscribing, their number is 831-372-2103. I receive no financial benefit by recommending them. It’s just good information.]
Nevertheless, here’s why real vitamin P is important to your health, and yes, even more specifically – to your dental health:
The cells that line your blood vessels are truly amazing in terms of all the functions they provide. Their end-result have a great deal to do with how you heal. But they can’t do their job without the adequate nutrition that they need. And the prime nutrient required by these cells is vitamin P. Originally, vitamin P was named for an extract of paprika. Today, we know it better as bioflavonoids.
But if you are deficient in vitamin P, you are likely suffering from sub-clinical scurvy.
At one time, scurvy was considered deadly. Today, it is looked upon as an old disease that has been pretty much eradicated. But the less deadly version – sub-clinical scurvy – can be found in much of the American population. It’s even possible you may have it.
And while you probably won’t die quickly from scurvy as people did centuries ago, your odds of dying from damage to your blood vessels and the resulting strokes and/or heart attacks are significantly increased. If you notice your toothbrush looks a little pink when you brush, or if you have outright bleeding gums, or possibly blood stains on your skin as a result of leaking blood (Schamberg disease), or you have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, blood clots, plaque, stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, peripheral artery disease, and most other circulatory problems – you are suffering from sub-clinical scurvy and you need vitamin P.
Vitamin P feeds the lining cells of your blood vessels – called endothelial cells – and can restore your health after they have been suffering from a vitamin P deficiency. That makes vitamin P a natural anti-stroke, anti-clot, and anti-heart attack nutrient. It will help regenerate your endothelial cells to heal your blood vessels properly. It will even help to keep your blood flowing better (by making them less stick and sludgy) without the many side effects of poisonous blood thinners.
As a dentist, I know that vitamin P is also helpful in your fight against gum disease and tooth loss. More teeth are lost (worldwide) due to periodontal disease (bone loss around the teeth) than to any other factor. Vitamin P deficiency has a lot to do with this. But it doesn’t end there. Because of its direct effects on collagen, vitamin P can also help you with ulcerative colitis, frostbite, arthritis, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and more. It is even protective against radiation damage.
But, by far, its main benefit is to the linings of your blood vessels. And when it comes to your gums that’s crucial.
All kinds of products claim to be able to heal your blood vessels. Frankly, most of them don’t work. If you truly want to heal your blood vessels, then the most effective source of vitamin P, by far, is the juice of deep green buckwheat leaves harvested at the time of their peak nutritional content. Possibly, the most powerful bioflavonoid in buckwheat juice is called rutin. Now, most of us aren’t going to start an organic garden to grow buckwheat — that we then harvest at the optimal time — and then make juice from the leaves. And, fortunately, we don’t have to.
One company – Standard Process – does that all for us. They make the supplement Cyruta-Plus in a tablet that contains all the life force, nutrients, and bioflavonoids of the juice itself. If you have gum problems, or any of the other problems listed above, 2-4 tablets of Cyruta-Plus 3x daily, would be a good place to start. Give it one to two months to help repair the damage already caused by what has probably been a long-term deficiency.
If you are not easily convinced and need additional proof (other than observing the results for yourself), you can ask your doctor to have your CRP (C-reactive protein) level checked. Most people with blood vessel inflammation will have an elevated CRP in their blood. If this is you, this is an inflammation marker, and your chance of having a heart attack or stroke becomes significantly higher.
You might be tempted to try one of the advertised “super-potent, artery scrubbing” anti-oxidants which are advertised, like reservatrol or ascorbic acid. Go ahead and try it. Then have your doctor order a new CRP blood test. After that treatment fails, try Cyruta-Plus (9 – 12 daily for 30 days) and get one more blood test. See what happens. Chances are you will be both shocked, and happy.
Not only will you have helped your gums and teeth, but you will have lowered your risk of heart attack and stroke, you will have helped your joints by improving arthritis, your gut will enjoy better digestion, your skin will thank you, as will your legs. Plus, the potential for living longer is not a bad result either.
Not long ago, I heard something from a patient that really surprised me. Now, that in itself is significant, because after practicing dentistry in Philadelphia for over 20 years, I thought I had just about heard it all. This patient, who up until recently had a great record of regular follow-up visits for cleanings and check-ups had been missing in action for about a year and a half. After we caught up with her and found out what was behind her unusual lapse in dental care, I learned that, among other things, she had been listening to a friend who had asked her: “Why do you want to go to the dentist? He’ll just find things that are wrong with you. And it’s so expensive.”
Wow!
Quite apart from the fact that this patient usually left her checkup without a need for any additional treatment, I thought to myself “With friends like that, who needs enemies?”
Well, here’s one to chew on: Let your oral health go and sure it may be expensive. That is, if you choose to get back into shape. Maybe even really expensive.
But, take care of yourself and – unless you have a serious accident – it’s very unlikely.
Statistically, I have found that patients who keep up with their bi-annual visits, have far less treatment that needs to be done. At times, an old filling or two may require replacement, but usually not a lot beyond that. That’s just normal wear and tear.
People who grind or clench their teeth often experience a higher need for dental work due to added stresses on their teeth, but we have solutions for this too.
All-in-all, having regular check-ups keeps the bulk of your hard-earned money in your pocket and not mine. Think about it. It’s just common sense.
Many of my patients have seen me use a dental instrument called a Diagnodent in the office. It is one of the latest diagnostic tools in dentistry.
No more poking and prodding. No additional radiation. No waiting until the film develops. A laser now detects cavities. And it may do it more accurately than conventional x-rays in many cases. How does it do it? It measures the amount of enamel and dentin lost and assigns a number using a special scale. The number helps the dentist decide if the tooth needs a filling or should just be checked again in several months. Small amounts of decay can disappear if the tooth hardens the softened enamel, a process called remineralization.
It gives you such accurate readings that if you decide to watch a tooth, six months down the road, you’ll rescan the tooth and check the reading. Sometimes we may find the numbers get smaller.
The device (the Diagnodent) is painless, and very safe. It does not necessarily find more decay. It helps us decide if it’s true decay. If small cavities are detected, patients can take steps that will help to remineralize the tooth and may avoid a filling entirely.
This new laser cavity detection system does not replace all x-ray technology. But it is one more tool we have to help keep your cavities small and your dental bill smaller.
In almost any field there are basics, the fundamental facts or principles from which other truths can be derived.
Without an understanding of these basics we lack the building blocks for greater knowledge or competence. For example, before we can write we learn our ABCs. Geometry first requires an understanding of arithmetic, and so on.
Lacking these basics, we can become lost in a sea of information, lacking the correct drops of water that hold the answers to our questions or allow us to be effective.
Know the basics of automotive care and you are likely to have a car that runs well and needs few repairs. Understand the basics of grammar and you can communicate.
What, then, are the basics of dental care?
While there are several key concepts which I cover in some of my earlier articles, there is one often overlooked principle I want to briefly cover herein.
Let’s first assume you are already in good dental health or, perhaps you weren’t, but now you got things under control. You are starting off with a “clean slate.” So, what do you do now?
The simple answer is taking a look at what got you there.
You spent months and maybe hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to handle dental problems that may not even have been causing you pain. Things feel good and you have gotten the clean bill of dental health from your doctor. What now? Continue to do what fixed the problem.
Did you start brushing after meals? Good. Continue.
Did you change your diet to reduce refined carbohydrates? Good. Continue.
Do you floss every day? Good. Continue.
Do you come back for your regular visits? No?! Why not?
If that was a successful part of the formula, don’t make the mistake I see so many people commit. There is probably many a dentist who will vouch for the fact that patients come in to them and say: “Yeah, I had a bunch of dental work done somewhere about fifteen years ago and it is starting to come apart.” When asked about the time of their last dental visit: “Oh, it was around then. Since my teeth were fine, it didn’t see the point of going in for a dental visit.”
Didn’t see – that’s a key point. There are many conditions that the patient neither sees nor feels. More importantly, dental health has a direct relationship to overall health. So the fact that one doesn’t feel gum disease, bone loss, dental cavities or oral cancer – especially in the early stages is a poor excuse not to see your dentist. Regular checkups are fundamental to defending yourself against serious problems. Caught early, your treatment can be approached conservatively, saving you time in the dental chair, the potential discomfort of extensive work and, of course, money.
Why is it that patients who visit the dentist regularly seem to need less dental work? I’d like to think it also has to do with their increased care and effort – but that effort includes keeping up with regular visits. These checkups can prevent small problems from turning into big ones and help to keep your existing work in good shape. Don’t be a penny wise and a pound foolish. See your dentist at least twice a year.
A little dental humor, because laughter lifts the spirit!
https://youtu.be/ythrdCsOFJU
Welcome!
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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