#9 DR. CHARLES MAYO SAID THAT PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY CAN ADD TEN YEARS TO YOUR LIFE
I heard years ago at a dental convention that Dr. Charles Mayo said “PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY CAN ADD 10 YEARS TO YOUR LIFE”. Of course, as a dentist I loved that, but it really made me think-WHAT IS PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY? Back then my view was that every patient needed to brush and floss. After some research I added that patients need to also add removing sugar from their diet and tongue scraping. Today it has changed even more and that’s what the subject is today. “WHAT IS PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY IN 2019”. Let’s cover each item one by one.
- BRUSHING– In my opinion we should all brush after every meal. I think we should brush using a Sonic toothbrush such as Oral B or Sonicare.
- FLOSSING-With 10 years on the line, I think we should floss after every meal but that is a little harder to work into the schedule. In most cases flossing after dinner at night before bedtime is sufficient.
- TONGUE SCRAPING-Most people don’t even know what I mean when we mention this but imagine this-there are millions of germs hiding in the crevices of your tongue. Those germs can move and attach to the gums and teeth which then leads to a buildup of plaque and tartar based on your diet. Tongue scraping is just what it says-SCRAPE YOUR TONGUE. You can use a spoon, toothbrush and there is actually a device that you can buy called a tongue scraper. I don’t think this matters much which one but it is gross when you use a scraper and see what comes out of those crevices. It’s NASTY-DO IT!
- WATERPIK-#1 recommended water flosser brand, clinically proven and accepted by the American Dental Association (ADA). Use once or twice daily after meals especially before bedtime.
- MOUTHWASH – There are lots of mouthwashes from Listerine to prescription Chlorihexidene. They all work pretty well at killing germs. There is even so good evidence that rinsing with coconut oil (often called pulling) will also kill some germs. If you kill the germs then you are less likely to get infections and the amount of tartar and plaque that you build will go down. There is one problem that has come to light in recent years and that is when you kill germs you are killing the good ones as well as the bad ones. If you kill the good ones then it appears that this affects the germs within the entire system from the mouth on down and this could affect your immune system.
- REMOVE SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET – I recommend less than 10 grams/day (3 tablespoons)
- PALEO DIET – The paleo diet does not feed the bad bugs and there is no sugar.
- PROBIOTICS – This helps to build the good bacteria from the mouth on down.
- PREBIOTICS – this encourages the growth of good bacteria.
- BRACES – to make teeth straighter to allow for better, easier cleaning. Better cleaning means less bad bugs (germs) which means less disease.
- DRY MOUTH – Prevent this to prevent decay and gum disease. In my opinion this is an epidemic today.
- VISIT THE DENTIST REGULARLY – To catch problems early.
- CURE GUM DISEASE IMMEDIATELY – 73% of you reading this now have some form of gum disease now!!!! Go to your dentist and get this checked out and be sure to floss and brush daily!
- VISIT YOUR CARDIOLOGIST REGULARLY – Preventive checkups are well worth it.
- GET AN ANNUAL PHYSICAL-be sure to check CRP (C-Reactive-Protein)-looking for inflammation
- SUPPLEMENTS – I strongly believe that none of us eats our 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and many environmental issues deplete what nutrients and vitamins etc. that we do get.
- NO SMOKING – This is one is obvious. Smoking can shorten your life by up to 10 years. QUIT!
- CURE ACID REFLUX – Almost daily I am seeing people in my dental practice that have this and I can see it as the acid causes erosion of the enamel of your teeth. Over time this can be very destructive and cause lots of dental problems and possibly throat cancer. Get it fixed.
- SUMMARY – As you can see, THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH! In my opinion, over the next few years we will see many more connections between the bad germs that cause gum disease and many other systemic diseases or conditions. The Paleo Diet does not feed these bad bacteria and therefore your chance of getting gum disease is greatly diminished. Also by not feeding the bad bacteria then many other parts of your body will improve and be healthier. DON’T FEED THE BAD BUGS, FLOSS & BRUSH!