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October 27 - 31, 2003 is California Dental Hygiene Awareness Week. This
‘awareness’ effort is limited to one week and one portion of the United
States, but stronger effort toward on-going public awareness
needs to be made and it is hoped that all will put a little more
attention in that direction - not only to save our teeth but to save
our lives. For centuries man has struggled with maladies related with oral health; tooth pain, bleeding, cavities, gum recession, malodor (bad breath), loose teeth and the list goes on. In the past, the rule of thumb was, “If thy tooth offends thee - yank it out!” Although this ‘treatment’ is still practiced more as a last resort, the dental industries and professions have developed a list of alternatives which are applied before resorting to extraction. By far the best treatment is ‘prevention,’ but hygienists and dentists fight a continuing battle trying to get the rest of us to take better care of our teeth. Maybe the problem is our lack of understanding of what actually causes our tooth and gum problems. Over the past thirty years the dental profession has slowly acknowledged that the cause of cavities, gingivitis and periodontal diseases stems from microbial infestation occurring in the mouth and that the infestation is contagious - it passes from person to person through various ways, including sharing eating utensils, tooth brushes and even kissing. Bacteria colonize wherever they can and those microbes missed by brushing can multiply into those hard-to-reach places, such as under the gum line - the perfect environment for anaerobic bacteria. Once settled in, the bacteria continue to grow in population and feed on food particles missed by brushing. The waste by-product of the microbes is acidic and that is what tends to do the damage to our teeth gums and connective tissue leading to the pain, loose teeth, bloody gums and abscesses. Science is now revealing that, as this ‘disease’ progresses and these pathogens colonize and spread, they can begin to exit off into the super highway known as the circulatory system and can settle into the organs of the body - further colonizing and contributing to strokes, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, pre-term and low birth weight births, pneumonia and oral cancers. So what do we do? Stop kissing? If that were the case, we’d be fighting a losing battle. Professional intervention can be important but few of us can afford to drop in for a thorough, 45 minute cleaning each week. According to Tom Cornwell, founder of the OraMedia Site for Dental Self Sufficiency’ (www.oramedia.com <http://www.oramedia.com>), the right attitude and a common sense approach to oral hygiene can save not only our teeth but a lot of money and unnecessary health problems down the road. Under the right conditions the body undergoes a healing and maintenance process. Is the oral cavity exempt from these processes? No, and people can arm themselves with knowledge of the problem, perhaps add irrigation to their hygiene routine and go for something more effective than TV toothpastes. “Once a person simply understands the cause of the problem and how to deal effectively with it,” says Cornwell, “it becomes an easy thing to adopt a few extra measures that will help prevent a lot of problems down the road.”. He set 10 Vital Tips for Keeping Your Teeth Healthy for Life: 1. Brush regularly and as soon after eating as possible - even after snacking. Brushing keeps small food particles from becoming giant feasts for unwanted bacteria. If possible, brush a full two minutes. Divide the teeth into quadrants and spend at least 30 seconds on each quadrant. Use the sulcus technique, angling the bristles and gently inserting and cleaning underneath the gum line while you brush. If you are not sure how to do this, ask your hygienist. 2. Select a good dentifrice and stick with it. You don’t need much and when the mouth fills with foam, many people will spit it out and consider themselves finished brushing. There are many, many toothpastes and powders on the market all touting claims from being the best whitener to being the most natural. Try a powder with a good mixture of baking soda and flavoring - you’ll never go back to pastes! Fluoride? You won’t need it if you keep to a strict hygiene routine. Hydrogen peroxide? Good old baking soda is proven to be a better anti-microbial without the risk. You will be surprised how clean your teeth feel after using a baking soda-based powder. Just can’t deal with the powder? Keep your eye on a new paste called TheraSol being developed. This may be one of the most effective toothpastes to hit the market, but may only be available through dental offices. 3. Brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper. Why do a great job on your teeth only to have them come in immediate contact with the microbes living on the surface of your tongue? As an added benefit, your breath will be MUCH better! 4. Floss at least once a day. Flossing further cleans and removes calculus where your toothbrush cannot reach. 5. Learn how to irrigate the teeth and gums and do it daily. Oral Irrigation serves several purposes; it helps to remove food particles trapped below the gum line, using the right antimicrobial fluid in your irrigator can help remove the ‘biofilm’ which harbors bacteria dangerous to your oral health and irrigating massages the gums resulting in increased circulation. Short on time? New irrigators can now be attached right to your faucet or shower outlet allowing you to clean your teeth while you do the rest of your body. ShowerPik and QuickPik II are two such appliances new on the market. 6. Irrigate deep pockets with a cannula tip and good antimicrobial solution. This measure is one of the best things an individual can do, on his or her own, to assist in stopping decay where pockets have formed between the tooth and gum. Before you buy an oral irrigator, make sure you select an irrigator such as the Via Jet, which can accommodate the tiny cannula tips. Not all do. When irrigating a deep pocket, the cannula tip is small enough to deliver the antimicrobial solution deep, where the regular irrigator tip cannot reach. Ask your dentist for help in this. If you have the right dentist, he’ll be supportive and informative in your personal hygiene efforts. 7. See your dental professionals regularly, but choose them wisely. There are good offices and bad ones and you need to seek a good hygienist as well as a D.D.S. Make sure your hygienist is allowed a good 45 minutes to an hour - enough time to properly work on your teeth. Listen to your hygienist when she tells you about a problem area and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be on time for your appointments. Talk to your dentist about ‘periodontal anti-infective therapy’ involving home irrigation and antimicrobial solutions. This is cutting edge science and a little effort on your part might keep you away from the ‘specialist.’ Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If your professional won’t take the time to answer you in a way you can understand or gets offended by your questions, it may be time to move on. 8. white teeth do not necessarily mean healthy teeth. While your biggest concern right now may be your smile, make sure that smile will be there, in good shape, years from now. Tooth whitening is tremendously popular today and many companies are catering to the market. While tooth whiteners remove staining, to some degree, they do not necessarily do the cleaning job required by your other efforts. 9. Nutrition is half the battle. A demineralization and remineralization process is taking place constantly as the teeth are being bathed in healthy saliva (See article on ‘demineralization’ at www.mizar5.com/demin.htm ). The body is equipped to care for itself as long as conditions are right, and as everything else in the body requires good nutrition, the teeth and gums are no exception. Staying away from sugar is fine, but don’t forget carbohydrates; cakes, breads, chips… Vitamin C has long been known as important for healthy gums and a good colloidal mineral supplement will provide the calcium and phosphorus your teeth need. Your strong autoimmune system is one of your best defenses against poor oral health and GOOD food is your best source of essential vitamins & minerals. 10. Finally, allow the time, use the time, and be on time. These are YOUR teeth. How you care for them will determine how they will care for you down the road. Your attention to your good oral health could even save your life. Author: Tom Cornwell hosts the ‘OraMedia Site for Dental Sufficiency’ on the Web./ Email: tom@oramedia.com URL: http://oramedia.com  TopBack Your comment |
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