Something To Chew On

The New Year is a time of reflection. Pondering the previous year, while making changes and goals for the upcoming year. It’s not uncommon to create a health plan that includes healthy eating and getting more exercise. As I get older, the more I seem to appreciate good food. Cooking with fresh ingredients of herbs and spices take ordinary to extraordinary. How often do we consider the process of eating? After food enters the mouth, it’s our teeth that are responsible for the first phase of the digestive process.  Yet, how many people put improving their oral health on that New Year’s Plan?

 A healthy mouth is a great asset.

Our teeth have such an important role to play in our lives. They help us chew and digest food, they help us to talk and speak clearly and they also give our face its shape.

A smile also has other day-to-day benefits. It can give us greater confidence, as well as influence our social lives, careers and relationships.

Growing old is a luxury some people never get to experience. But for those that do, having teeth is golden. We aren’t born with teeth because an infant only needs milk for the first half of their first year. Then teeth begin to emerge so the child can begin to experience table foods and take in more nutritious foods.  

In the teenage years, the primary (baby) teeth are lost and permanent teeth appear. These teeth are meant to last a lifetime; however, poor lifestyle choices often result in tooth loss. This loss results in a failure to masticate food appropriately, and consequently, the stomach has to work harder because the food is basically swallowed whole.

Chewing is essential for the muscles of the face. Just like working out at the gym, chewing is a workout for our facial muscles. Teeth also provide support for our lips and jaw and give the face its shape. When some of the teeth are lost and not replaced, pressure and chewing forces are then placed on the remaining teeth. This leads to breakdown of those teeth left behind.

Ask your oral health professional about the health of your mouth. Many folks think that bleeding gums are “normal” because the gums have bled all their life, however, if your scalp bled every time you combed your hair, wouldn’t you be alarmed? Bleeding is a sign of disease. Halitosis (bad breath) is also a sign that disease is present. There continues to be research that supports the oral/systemic link. The mouth is not separate from the body and the condition of the mouth says a lot about the condition of the body.

What conditions can be linked to oral health?  This according to the Mayo Clinic:

·       Endocarditis. This infection of the inner lining of your heart chambers or valves (endocardium) typically occurs when bacteria or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth, spread through your bloodstream and attach to certain areas in your heart.

·       Cardiovascular disease. Although the connection is not fully understood, some research suggests that heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke might be linked to the inflammation and infections that oral bacteria can cause.

·       Pregnancy and birth complications. Periodontitis has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.

·       Pneumonia. Certain bacteria in your mouth can be pulled into your lungs, causing pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.

Certain conditions also might affect your oral health, including:

·       Diabetes. By reducing the body's resistance to infection, diabetes puts your gums at risk. Gum disease appears to be more frequent and severe among people who have diabetes.

Research shows that people who have gum disease have a harder time controlling their blood sugar levels. Regular periodontal care can improve diabetes control.

·       HIV/AIDS. Oral problems, such as painful mucosal lesions, are common in people who have HIV/AIDS.

·       Osteoporosis. This bone-weakening disease is linked with periodontal bone loss and tooth loss. Certain drugs used to treat osteoporosis carry a small risk of damage to the bones of the jaw.

·       Alzheimer's disease. Worsening oral health is seen as Alzheimer's disease progresses.

For more information about your oral health, consult your dental hygienist. Ask questions and seek to understand what’s happening in your mouth. Remember oral health is a window into how the rest of the body is doing. 

Health bite: Pink, healthy gums mean healthy body

Find the Connection

No doubt you have likely heard the phrase "oral systemic link" shot around in literature and on news shows, but what does it mean? The medical and dental community for years had separate thoughts about what the other practiced, and so was divided in assisting people in their health quests. Not so any longer.

What research has been suggesting over the past decade is that the health of the mouth tells us much about the health of the whole body. No longer should we treat each separately. Finding ways to bring health to one, can bring health to the other. Gingival inflammation (gingivitis) is often the first onset of diabetes. It is marked by bleeding and swelling gums, although it slips through the radar of the general population because most people don't clean in between their teeth. You see, this is where the disease starts. The tissue is more fragile and susceptible to disease in between the teeth. It's likely to have more bacteria stuck there because it can hide and not get dislodged with daily activity (eating, drinking, and talking.). The oral cavity can show disease within a few months, but it takes decades for it to show up in our bodies. Take notice to how your gums look. Ask your dental professional how your oral health is at your check ups. Talk to your hygienist, ask questions, and take their advice.

Even though diabetes is a serious disease, heart disease is another issue that has been linked to the oral cavity. Autopsies have shown bacteria that is normally found in the mouth in the heart, causing infections. Endocarditis is a serious and fatal infection. Inflammation in the gums happens because too many bacteria have made a home round the teeth. This initiates an immune response in which blood vessels open to allow white blood cells to start killing the bacteria. Just as easily as the white blood cells can work through to fight the bacteria, the bacteria also have access to enter the blood stream and flow to the heart. Thus, if the bacteria is able to stick around a little while, an infection can occur around the heart.

Pregnancy can be a factor in inflammation and gingivitis. Countless studies have linked oral infections, like severe gingivitis and active periodontal disease, for premature births. An autopsy performed on an infant that was still born revealed oral bacteria in the amnionic fluid causing infection and ultimately death. The mother had untreated periodontal disease.

Taking care of the gums and teeth is more than just brushing, which the only means in which most folks do. Diet places a part as well. Sugar is an inflammatory factor and the main source of food for bacteria. When you consume simple sugars, the bacteria begin to feast and then excrete acids that breakdown tooth enamel and cause the gums to become red. A high carbohydrate diet will leave behind more plaque that hardens into tartar, which is contributing factor to oral disease.

Using something to clean in between the teeth is actually more important than brushing. Why? Remember what I said about the tissue being more fragile in between? Bacteria want to make a home. A place to raise a family and build a community. You give them that opportunity when you don't clean in between the teeth. It's stuck there. It's not going anywhere. It's safe from chewing forces and getting swished around. As a matter of fact, it just has to sit and wait for food to come toward it in the saliva. It grabs what it wants to eat and lives on.

Do you get the picture? This is the oral-systemic link. Seek professional oral hygiene care regularly, and practice good oral hygiene at home. What you do at home makes the biggest impact!

Health-bite: practice excellent oral hygiene care for a healthy body