HALITOSIS OR BAD BREATH CAN BE AN INDICATION YOU HAVE GUM DISEASE – BLOG #63
HALITOSIS OR BAD BREATH CAN BE AN INDICATION YOU HAVE GUM DISEASE – BLOG #63
Dr. Spiker Davis D.D.S. 713-781-2800 Dr. Matt Guerre D.D.S. 713-781-2800
In collaboration with Dr. John Seger M.D. Cardiologist 713-791-9444
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I believe the mouth is the WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH. I also believe that as individuals we need to take care
of our health-nobody else is going to do it for us. Have you ever gotten into an elevator and suddenly noticed that someone has bad breath and you wish you could hurry up and get off? As a dentist, I have noticed lots of bad breath in my career but there is one that just drives me crazy because I know what gum disease smells like, and I want to find that person in the elevator and tell them to go to their dentist. Gum disease occurs when the gums become infected or inflamed. This is usually caused by a lack of proper oral hygiene and feeding the bad bacteria that are hiding in your mouth under and around the gums. Left untreated this leads to an infection in the bone and eventually tooth loss. It is very important to not feed the bad bacteria in your mouth. The main culprit is sugar and carbohydrates. The bad bacteria love to eat these two items and then they can grow and form plaque or tartar.
To prevent gum disease, it really helps to not feed the bacteria and then in addition you need to remove the bacteria with brushing and flossing. A healthy person should brush and floss at least twice daily and a person with gum inflammation or gum disease should brush and floss 3-4 times daily. If you ignore this, you will lose your teeth eventually! So, how does this happen and what are the signs that I might have gum disease? The basic story is that everyone has zillions of bacteria in their mouth. If you feed the bacteria, they will grow and multiply. They love sugar and carbohydrates. 68% of all packaged food has sugar added to it. The average American consumes about 200 pounds of sugar per year. To help prevent gum disease it is necessary to brush and floss to remove the sugar and carbs and the bacterial colonies in your mouth. Bottom line, don’t feed the bugs (bacteria), and brush and floss daily to get rid of them. If you don’t, you will have gum disease at some point, and left untreated you will lose your teeth!
As the inflammation and infection occur you will probably get HALITOSIS (bad breath). What are the risk factors that increase the chances of getting gum disease? They include poor oral hygiene (once a day is not enough), stress, grinding your teeth, smoking, diabetes, old failing fillings, and crooked teeth. In my opinion, smoking is the worst risk factor of all. Almost all smokers either have or get gum disease! Another factor that can create lots of problems is having crooked teeth. The problem with crooked teeth is that it is very difficult to clean crooked teeth so even if you are brushing and flossing daily you will build up more tartar (colonies of bacteria building a house on your teeth or under the gum) than the average person. That is one of the main reasons that so many adults are now getting braces.
In other words, not to look better but help prevent gum disease. Now comes the bad part. It is possible that the bacteria causing the gum infection, can enter the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body. Gum disease has been associated with and there is a direct correlation with heart disease, stroke, premature birth, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and respiratory disease. So, the mouth really is the window to your health. And, if you notice bad breath from a friend or relative, it is possible that they have gum disease and you could save their life by referring them to a dentist!
SUMMARY-It is obvious that your mouth is the window to your health. Abnormal conditions in the mouth can be very indicative of other systemic health conditions. In many cases, if your mouth is unhealthy there is a good probability that something somewhere else in your body also needs attention. It’s never too late- Practice good oral hygiene, avoid sugar Go see your dentist, and get back on track with regular cleanings. Follow that up by seeing your physician for a physical. Pay SPECIAL ATTENTION TO BAD BREATH AND BLEEDING GUMS!
“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR
FOR 2022 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN ON A REGULAR BASIS.
“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR FOR 2022 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN ON A REGULAR BASIS.
Spiker Davis D.D.S. spiker@thepaleodentist.com John Seger M.D. Matt Guerre D.D.S.
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