Five Minutes a Day to Cut Your Risks of Heart Attack and Stroke... Oh and Avoid Cavities
If your eyes are the windows to your soul, your mouth is the tunnel to your body. As it turns out, mouth care is essential to good health. Bacteria that live in your mouth can cause cavities and, even worse, may cause heart disease. Thus, taking proper care of your teeth is a key in your overall good health. Yet many people think that brushing your teeth with toothpaste is the answer. As I have written before, this logic and behavior is quite dangerous for your health (see my archived article on fluoride). The most important and least expensive part of good oral hygiene is flossing. Yep, simple white string.
The bacteria that live in your mouth are nasty. They cause disease both on the teeth, and worse, they find their way into the body. Ever have sore, red, or even bleeding gums? Well guess what? Those little bacteria are killing you AND your teeth. The bad news is that you have periodontal disease. Periodontal disease often begins between the teeth and at the gum line. The good news is that we can get rid of it with FLOSSING (and brushing – but you already do that).
But why should you floss? After all, what possible harm could there be in a little periodontal disease here and there? Hold on to your dentures, folks. Here's why. Periodontal or gum disease is a bacterial infection. The mouth-bacteria thrive in the mucous and food debris and get trapped in the nooks and crannies of your teeth. If these clumps of bacteria and debris hang around long enough, they harden and create plaque, which over time gets harder and becomes tartar and then calculus. These irregular surfaces are even better for hiding bacteria. Brushing and especially flossing around these areas is an essential part of the tooth-cleaning process because it breaks up and removes plaque from these hard-to-reach places where your toothbrush simply cannot reach. Therefore, people with this disease (often evidenced by swollen or inflamed gums) have more bacteria in their mouths.
But here's the really BAD NEWS…
The bacteria in your teeth and mouth easily get in the bloodstream and travel to other areas of the body where more inflammation and damage can occur.
In November 2002, Harvard Medical School researchers discovered that one of the most important factors of longevity was daily flossing! Other studies have proven the release of bacteria and endotoxins (small particles from bacteria that trigger the body's reaction). Scientific evidence points to a strong association between poor periodontal health and other systemic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease. Amazingly, just chewing gum can release these bugs and toxins into your bloodstream if you have tooth disease. Other studies have shown that serum “C-reactive protein” is increased in patients with periodontal disease and that this marker of inflammation is intimately tied to heart and vascular disease. So be sure to floss regularly.
If you're like me, you have one or two special teeth that capture corn, chicken, steak, broccoli, and cooked spinach with amazing regularity. If this happens with you as well, those teeth need daily flossing.
Today, dental floss is not the same as it was when I was growing up. Back in the day, we had two options – waxed and unwaxed (I'm starting to sound like my father… at least I'm not saying, "And, by golly… we had to walk up hill in the snow to get it"). Now, dental floss comes in a variety of materials, colors, and even sizes. Some people have strong preferences. I go back and forth on this, but currently think waxed is easier. To me, the waxed seems to hurt less than the un-waxed. Plus my teeth simply feel cleaner when I use this kind.
Regardless, dentists and literature searches confirm that all forms work well.
When it comes to my teeth and flossing here's what I do…
| • |
I firmly believe that heart disease is related to, if not actually caused by, infections and inflammation triggered by bugs in our mouth. |
| • |
I rinse my mouth out with water whenever I can. This instantly lowers the bacteria load. |
| • |
I gargle with a mouthwash (usually a flavored antiseptic variety) prior to brushing my teeth and flossing. This kills bacteria and thus considerably lowers the load of potential inflammatory mediators. |
| • |
I try to brush my teeth after eating and I rinse several times before and after – I use plain old water if mouthwash is not available. |
| • |
I avoid toothpaste, as the fluoride is toxic… VERY TOXIC. My last dental visit confirmed that my method works just fine as I was told I had the most amazing bone structure on my teeth and that I must be using fluoride supplements daily. I replied not in five years… and tried to explain why my teeth were so healthy… |
| • |
Once I have brushed, then I FLOSS… and I rinse the floss as I go – this also knocks off smelly bacteria and avoids planting them among the other teeth as I floss. |
| • |
The most important thing I can do is reduce the bacteria load before bed… otherwise those critters have seven to nine hours of party time in my mouth… thus giving me cavities and bad breath. THUS… |
| • | I ALWAYS rinse/gargle with mouthwash (or water) before brushing at night. |
Until next time, be healthy.
David Eifrig, Jr., M.D.
P.S. Blueberries are in! This year's crop seems less flavorful than the past and I am unsure why. Also, does anyone have any good heirloom tomato seeds or plants they might share?