Alternatives for Halloween candy:

• Temporary tattoos
• Stickers
• Pencils
• Fancy erasers
• Pencil toppers
• Crayons
• Coins (pennies, nickels, dimes)
• Small novelty toys
• False teeth
• Superballs
• “Slime”
• Miniature magnifying glasses
• Plastic jewelry/decoder rings
• Necklaces
• Glow-sticks
• Sugar-free candy
• Tiny decks of cards
• Plastic medals
• Fake money
• Origami paper & instructions
• Bubbles

Hundreds of years ago it was the barber who treated teeth. Then the body of knowledge grew to create the dental profession. Today, you usually think of the dentist as the doctor who handles teeth and gums. But so much recent evidence is pouring in – to not only increase our knowledge but to change the way we think in how diseases in the mouth affect the body – that the dentist may enter a new role in the future. That role is to aid in reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, COPD, and cancer. How? By preventing and treating periodontal disease.

Patients with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, COPD, and cancer have increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood. CRP is an indicator of widespread inflammation in the body. Physicians agree that measuring levels of CRP is important in evaluating the risks to these diseases as well as monitoring their success in treatment. In fact CRP levels were found to be more accurate in predicting heart issues than cholesterol levels.

Current research indicates that periodontal disease contributes to increased levels of CRP. Periodontal disease is infection in the gums that produces oral bacterial byproducts that enter the blood stream and trigger the liver to make proteins.

Treating periodontal disease reduces the CRP levels and it is believed is as important in reducing the risk to systemic diseases as is weight control, exercise, and not smoking. Of all the ways to keep your body healthy and reducing the risk to systemic diseases, getting your teeth cleaned every three months (instead of the traditional six months) is by far the easiest for individuals and perhaps one of the best.

Periodontal disease is linked to or is a potential risk factor for those with damaged heart valves, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease and behavioral and psychosocial conditions according to The American Academy of Periodontology, which has been reviewing the data. It is the most pervasive infectious disease on earth.

The cause of this insidious disease stems from the plaque-producing bacteria, found among the almost 500 species of bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria that cause periodontal disease live in the absence of air, like it warm, dark and acidic. They provide the furry feeling on teeth upon awakening. The acidic bio-film forms a sticky, water resistant shield around the tooth, called plaque. Water alone (swishing or oral irrigating) cannot penetrate this grease barrier to remove plaque. In addition, gums act like a gasket around the tooth, further preventing air or water to reach the “air hating” bacteria along the gum line, making cleaning especially difficult.

Restorations, crowns, bridges, orthodontic appliances, wisdom teeth, implants, periodontal disease, or not flossing, will sustain dangerous levels of bacteria even after brushing. Bacteria (good or bad) reproduce exponentially every hour.  This means that if you start off with a bacteria population of 1x (1x being the amount of bacteria in your mouth after a professional cleaning – which you can’t achieve in the home), after one hour you have double the population of bacteria, and after two hours you have 4x, then 8x, 16x, etc. Poor cleaning in a few areas will leave heavy concentrations of plaque that can repopulate other areas of the oral cavity.

You may start with a bacteria population of 10,000x and in a few hours bacteria will quickly race out of control. To reduce the plaque-producing bacteria in the mouth, one must a) break through the sticky shield with an abrasive, b) cleanse the site, c) aerate the site, and d) neutralize the acid.

Normal cleaning methods, like brushing and flossing, have a difficult time accessing the sites between the teeth or can’t break through the sticky film, don’t aerate those sites, and don’t neutralize the acid.

The American Dental Society reports that only 5% of the population flosses their teeth. Drawbacks to flossing are possible gum lacerations and the floss can act as a contaminant bringing infection from one tooth to the other.

Flossing does not aerate the site nor neutralize the acid. Tooth brushing is over aggressive on the cheek-side surfaces of teeth causing toothbrush abrasion and ridges along the gum line, resulting in sensitivity to hot and cold, while still not accessing in between the teeth. Tooth brushing also does not aerate the sites to change the environment.

It’s not easy to keep the population of bacteria in the mouth low and your teeth really clean. Meticulous routine twice daily cleaning is necessary. Professional cleanings at least twice a year assist in this task.

The effort it takes will facilitate your overall health. There is lots of evidence suggesting that one way to live longer is to clean your teeth better.

Ref: (http://www.perio.org/consumer/mediahg1.html)

Before the systems become severe, it is important that regular six month checkups with a dentist are made to identify periodontal disease.

SIX SIGNS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE:

• Bad breath that won’ t go away<
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• Red or swollen gums
• Tender or bleeding gums
• Painful chewing
• Loose teeth
• Sensitive teeth

The first clue to periodontal disease is bad breath that is constant and won’t go away.

When dealing with chronic bad breath, it is important that a systemic disease, such as diabetes, is ruled out. Other causes of bad breath that may have nothing to do with periodontal disease are diet (coffee, sugar, spicy foods) and medication (for colds and high blood pressure to name a few). Some sources of bad breath can originate in the lungs, sinus or stomach. These factors must also be considered.

However, since about 80% of the population has periodontal disease, it is most likely that bad breath is caused by this disease in the mouth. Those plump red gums that may look healthy to the uneducated eye are really symptoms of periodontal disease.

Pay particular attention to the areas around the tooth. Red or purple coloring around the tooth indicate the disease. Healthy gums are pink with the surface showing “stippling”, like the surface of an orange, not smooth and puffy like a water balloon. Gums that are tender to the touch and that bleed with the slightest aggravation are signs of periodontal disease. Gums should not bleed when brushing or flossing. Bleeding gums are an indication that the tissue is dying and infection is setting in.

Painful chewing is another sign of periodontal disease. Sharp pain located in just one tooth could be dental decay, a cracked tooth, one in need of a root canal or a new filling that is too high. Those with TMJ (Temporomandibular joint dysfunction) experience jaw pain, which is different than teeth hurting from chewing.

Overall or non-localized pain is often the result  of periodontal disease.Teeth that are loose in the mouth from periodontal disease are caused by plaque deposits along and under the gum line around the bone of the tooth. The bone begins to deteriorate and the tooth looses its support into the jaw. Pockets form around the tooth further collecting bacteria, exacerbating the problem.

Sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet, sour and cold air can also be a periodontal disease symptom. Gums that are receding due to the disease expose the root surfaces that are covered in tiny tubes leading to the nerve in the tooth. When the external stimulus (hot, cold, etc.) is introduced to the exposed portion of the tooth, pain is felt in the nerves.

Although late stages of periodontal disease show signs, early stages do not. Visit your dentist before the signs appear.

Many things that dentists feel should be covered by dental insurance are not. And because they appear to fall in the category of health insurance, are not covered in the dental office. The loss is at the patient level when neither health nor dental insurance will cover the expense.

With all the rese arch rolling in that links periodontal disease to other systemic diseases in the body, that health care insurance companies would realize the benefit of covering periodontal therapy as a medical covered expense.

Further, I would think that the American Dental Association would act in the best interest of dentists and their patients by lobbying for this coverage.

Here is a dental health care story that you may be interested in:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/01/shouldnt-health-insurance-cover-teeth.html

Periodontal infection is the advanced stages of gum disease that causes bone loss. The bone loss is irreversible. Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease and with early detection, treatment and proper oral hygiene can be reversed.

Periodontal infection has been associated with other systemic disorders that would not on the surface appear related.

Periodontal disease is a potential risk factor for:

• infective endocarditis (damaged heart valves)
• cardiovascular diseases (arteriosclerosis, coronary thrombosis ischemic heart disease, stroke)
• diabetes
• respiratory problems
• pancreatic cancer
• behavioral and psychosocial status

It is important that regular six month checkups with a dentist are made to identify periodontal disease before the systems become severe.

SIGNS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE:

• Bad breath that won’t go away
• Red or swollen gums
• Tender or bleeding gums
• Painful chewing
• Loose teeth
• Sensitive teeth

We will look at each sign in upcoming blogs…

Some medical conditions cause bad breath. Infections in the lungs, nasal cavity or sinuses can cause odor that is associated with bad breath.

Bad breath in diabetics is a rather common occurrence.

And finally, less likely, but still possible, bad breath can be associated with certain conditions related to malfunctioning kidneys and some cancers.

Smoking, mouth breathing, alcohol based mouth washes and certain medications also increase dry mouth.

Reduced saliva does not allow your mouth to remove the bacteria that cause the odor.