IS YOUR ORAL HEALTH GETTING WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER? – BLOG #62

BLOG #62 IS YOUR ORAL HEALTH GETTING WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER?
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.

IS YOUR ORAL HEALTH GETTING WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER? CONSIDER TRYING THESE TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR ORAL HEALTH.

As soon as we get out of our teens, things start to change in our mouths. From then on oral health plays a crucial role in your overall health and this can lead to deterioration of your general health-it’s a proven fact! Poor oral health can contribute to many systemic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and even premature birth! Poor oral health can even be considered comorbidity to the Covid virus and how well you recover if infected. In addition, gum or tooth infections, tooth loss, and bone loss
frequently affect your chewing ability and can limit your food selections. So, here are a few tips on things you can do to prevent your oral health from getting worse. Oral health issues we see a lot in our office. DR. CHARLES MAYO SAID THAT PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY COULD ADD 10 YEARS TO YOUR LIFE!!

1. DECAY-it is amazing that in today’s world we are seeing more decay in our office than normal. There are multiple reasons for this such as the amount of sugar being consumed is horrendous!!, the amount of acid being consumed or acid reflux is eroding the teeth at an alarming rate, the amount of grinding and associated wear is phenomenal, dry mouth from medications is wreaking havoc and for some reason, people in our office are brushing and flossing less. BIG TIP-BUY AND USE A SONIC TOOTHBRUSH!
2. GUM DISEASE In some studies it has been shown that somewhere between 70-80% of Americans have some form of gum disease. In the beginning, there is inflammation, then gingivitis, and finally periodontitis. Left untreated, gum disease can cause infections, bone loss, and eventually tooth loss. Gum disease is also linked to many systemic diseases such as heart attacks, cancer diabetes, and others. In our office it seems like more people are missing their regular cleanings, smoking more, flossing less, brushing less and it generally just heading down the wrong path. Do you notice your gums bleed when brushing your teeth? BIG TIP-CALL YOUR DENTIST TODAY AND GO GET A CLEANING AND A CHECKUP! FLOSS TWICE DAILY AND MAKE SURE YOU GO UNDER THE GUM EVEN IF IT HURTS OR BLEEDS!!
3. DRY MOUTH-In our office, we see that most of our patients over 50 (even some in their 30’s-40”s) are on several medications such for high blood pressure, diabetes, statins for cholesterol, etc. and one of the most common side effects is a dry mouth. A dry mouth will deplete the calcium and other minerals that your teeth need to stay healthy. Without them, rampant decay is the main outcome that we see. I mean like 10-20 cavities at a time over a 6-month period!!! BIG TIP-TELL YOUR DENTIST, PHYSICIAN, AND PHARMACIST IMMEDIATELY IF YOU NOTICE A DRY MOUTH! AVOID ALL SUGAR, DRINK LOTS OF WATER AND AVOID ANYTHING ACIDIC!
4. ORAL CANCER-Fortunately we do not see this very often, but in the last 10 years or so it is up about 500%! As we get older the chance of getting cancer of the mouth, tongue, lips, or throat increases. The two biggest causes of oral cancer that we see are smoking and drinking too much alcohol. BIG TIP-QUIT SMOKING NOW AND IF YOU NOTICE ANY LUMPS OR A BURNING SENSATION SEE YOUR DENTIST OR PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY. DOES YOUR DENTIST CHECK FOR CANCER?
5. CROOKED OR CROWDED TEETH-As an adult we often don’t pay much attention to how our teeth look. But in our office, what we have noticed is that many people’s teeth become very crowded. They can live with how it looks but from a dentist’s perspective crowded teeth mean that you can’t floss as well or as deep as they need to thus they are more likely to get the dreaded gum disease. Also, when teeth become crowded, they no longer fit like they should which can lead to bone loss and breakage and this can get very expensive. In today’s world, Invisalign or Aligner therapy can correct many simple crowding problems before they do too much damage. BIG TIP-DON’T LIVE WITH CROOKED TEETH. IT WILL ONLY LEAD TO DAMAGE AND EXPENSIVE ISSUES SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD. IN TODAY’S WORLD, THE TEETH CAN OFTEN BE FIXED IN LESS THAN A YEAR.

SUMMARY-It is obvious that your mouth is the window to your health. Abnormal conditions in the mouth can LEAD TO 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. Is your oral health getting worse or better as you get older? CONSIDER THESE BIG TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR ORAL HEALTH!

1. AVOID SUGAR, BUY A SONIC TOOTHBRUSH
2. FLOSS TWICE DAILY AND GO WAY UNDER THE GUM
3. TELL YOUR DENTIST PHYSICIAN AND PHARMACIST IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE A DRY MOUTH
4. QUIT SMOKING NOW AND REPORT ANY LUMPS OR BUMPS IN AND AROUND YOUR MOUTH
5. GET STRAIGHT TEETH TO AVOID MORE GUM ISSUES AND EXPENSIVE BROKEN TEETH.

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 ALL THE THINGS THAT CAN BE GOING ON IN YOUR MOUTH.

“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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