14
in other words
october11
2011
Tooth Talk: Can Brushing Every Day Keep the Doctor Away?
By Dr. Christopher Scheuerman
Did you know
that your oral health
can offer clues about
your overall health? Or
that problems in your
mouth can affect the
rest of your body? Now
more than ever everyone needs to under-
stand the intimate connection between
oral health and overall health and what
you can do to protect yourself.
You wake up in the morning and
reach for your toothbrush, brush, brush,
brush. Hmmm, what’s that? A little
blood in the sink, oh no big deal. But
wait – if you woke up in the morning and
washed your hands only to find blood in
the sink – would you still think, no big
deal?
Your mouth is teeming with
bacteria — most of it is good for your
overall health, but some of it can cause
problems. Normally the body’s natural
defenses and good oral health care, such
as daily brushing and flossing, can keep
the good bacteria happy and reduces bad
bacteria in the mouth. However, harm-
ful bacteria can sometimes grow out of
control and cause oral infections, such as
tooth decay and gum disease.
Dental disease is not just a mi-
nor ailment of the gums and teeth. It is a
disease of the body that happens to begin
in the mouth. If left unchecked, it can
contribute to other more harmful dis-
eases that can seriously affect the quality
of life and actually shorten life expectan-
cy. For example, recent scientific stud-
ies clearly demonstrate the direct and
harmful role gum disease plays in many
serious and life-threatening diseases.
For example, moderate-to-severe gum
disease can: • Increase the risk of heart
attack by as much as 25%; • Increase
the risk of stroke by 10 % • Increase the
severity of diabetes • Contribute to low
pre-term birth weights • Contribute to re-
spiratory disease • Interfere with proper
digestion; • Play a role in osteoporosis •
Severely stress the immune system •
Lower resistance to other infections;
and • Actually reduce life expectancy.
Let’s Define How Dental Disease Does
Its Damage
Various forms of dental disease
result in infection, which will always af-
fect your overall health—to one degree
or another. The most serious damage
done by dental disease is caused by the
more advanced form of gum disease.
The body is negatively affected by infec-
tion of any kind. The more serious the
infection, and the longer it is present, the
greater its potential for damaging overall
health. Any infection stresses the im-
mune system. The extent of its effect on
that system is directly related to the ex-
tent, type, duration, and location of the
infection. But because of its damaging
effect on the immune system it can also
contribute, make worse, or trigger many
diseases and health issues, including
such idiopathic (medical term applied
to diseases of unknown cause) diseases
as Meniere’s, chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFIDS) and fibromyalgia.
It is also important to understand
that periodontal disease does not just in-
volve the soft tissue of the mouth. If left
unchecked, gum disease will progress
until the underlying bone structure of the
jaws is infected. As the pocket of dental
disease continues to deepen it becomes
a haven for many types of harmful bac-
teria. Over time, the bacterial infection
continues to expand, exposing the cir-
culatory system to ever increasing num-
bers of virulent bacteria and their toxins.
Remember, this is the same blood that
travels throughout the entire body and as
such, it can carry the bacteria and its tox-
ins to other parts of the body, including
the heart, lungs, kidneys and liver.
Studies from the Mayo clinic
have concluded that periodontitis (the
more advanced form of gum disease) has
a 25% increased risk of heart disease.
Periodontal disease and poor oral hy-
giene amongst young men has a nearly
threefold increased risk of death from
heart disease and a 50% higher risk of
hospital admission for stroke.
Periodontal disease can affect
diabetes. This is important for at least
two reasons. First, periodontal disease
has been shown to affect the control of
diabetes. Second, the American Heart
Association now includes diabetes
as a major risk factor for heart disease,
ranking it with high blood pressure and
smoking. Thus, we witness an unfortu-
nate connection: diabetes is on the rise;
it is a risk factor for heart disease; and
periodontal disease is a risk factor in
both.
Studies on respiratory infections
suggest that the oral cavity acts as a res-
ervoir for bacteria that can find its way
into the lungs. These studies indicate
that mouth and throat bacteria pave the
way for bacterial respiratory infection.
Researchers at the University of
Buffalo reported that most people diag-
nosed with periodontal disease may be
at a higher risk of underlying osteopo-
rosis. To date, the most significant rela-
tionship between dental disease and gas-
trointestinal disorders is from tooth loss.
The edentulous (without teeth) patient is
the most vulnerable to gastrointestinal
and other related problems. One study
showed that those with dentures are also
subject to numerous health problems, di-
rectly related to their inability to proper-
ly chew their food leading to a decrease
in vitamin A and fiber intake, which was
mainly the result of lower intakes of
fruits and vegetables.
The long-held belief that den-
tal disease is a localized, minor disease
that only affects the teeth and gums, has
not withstood the test of time. Dental
disease, and other issues related to the
mouth, can and do contribute to serious
health problems. They can also interfere
with successful medical treatment and
healing and can actually shorten life ex-
pectancy. As a patient, you cannot af-
ford to overlook this relationship when
seeking treatment for any disease or for
attempting to extend life expectancy and
improve the quality of your life.
Consequences of ignoring Oral
Health are many; certainly now that
Vernonia
you are aware of the mouth-body con-
Coffee Roasters nection. Oral health is no longer a
trivial issue anymore and not paying
attention to your oral health might not
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seem the thing to do anymore. In case
TO PERFECTION”
you have not paid attention to your
oral health for a long time then do
get a periodontal evaluation to assess
your oral health. A periodontal evalu-
ation is a must especially if you suffer
from heart disease, diabetes, osteopo-
rosis or respiratory disease, or if you
are planning to conceive a baby.
In our office we have a saying,
“Only floss the teeth you intend to
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keep.” Now more than ever that say-
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Dr. Chris
