New findings lead to simple and serious advice: brush your teeth to prevent Alzheimer's Disease.
It seems overly simplistic, but it is true. The link between inflammatory illnesses and Alzheimer's was studied over the last 40 years through the Swedish Twin Registry.
In the study, sets of twins were studied. In 109 cases, one twin had Alzheimer's Disease and the other did not and the inflammatory nature of many diseases, including periodontal disease, has been shown to play a role in developing the Alzheimer's.
Additionally, people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease are more likely to develop and have difficulty getting control over periodontal disease due to decreased mental ability and memory loss. Other risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease are:
- Age
- Family History
- Genetics
- Heart Health
- Injury
- Gender (women are more likely)
- Education Level
The connection between diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease is becoming more and more apparent with new studies. These are the risk factors that can be controlled by the individual unlike genetics and gender.
It is important to provide young people with necessary dental care because youth and young adults diagnosed with periodontal disease are more likely to develop Alzheimer's later in life.
Dentistry can be approached in a holistic manner in order to increase longevity as well as quality of life, accounting for overall health as well as the health of your mouth.
Did you know that gum disease is contagious? It's true. The bacteria can be tranferred in saliva. So if you are planning on kissing your Valentine, you could be giving more than love.
If you share utensils, drinking glasses, or if you have a cough, if you sneeze or like to kiss, you can transfer gum disease to other family members including children. How can you avoid this?
- Have your entire family evaluated for gum disease
- Follow through with periodontal treatment
- Follow up with your recare visits recommended by your hygienist. Sometimes more frequent recare is recommended because the bacteria can repopulate within 30 days.
- Make sure your hygienist is checking your gum health at each visit.
Did you know that 75% of tooth loss is from gum disease? It's true. Gum disease can also cause or complicate the following illnesses:
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Heart Disease
- Osteoporosis
- Pneumonia
- Pre-term births
- Reduces effectiveness of medications
Give the greatest gift this holiday: the gift of health. Arrange for your family visit your dentist this month.
Flossie Posse,
Do you kiss your dogs on the lips? I do, I'll admit it. Well, I kiss them on their noses, really, but their noses are pretty close to their lips. I'm not sure why I do this, given the fact that I know what they do with their mouths. There is not a week that goes by when Nyla, the younger of my two Jack Russell Terriers, brings me something dead. Sometimes I think it was dead when she found it and sometimes I know it wasn't. Regardless, she does not discriminate and is very proud of her treasures. The old man Jack Russell, Puck, mostly gets in trash and finds bones and other bacteria infested morsels. Either way, logic tells me the old saying that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human mouth can not be true. So I did a little research.
What I did find is that most infections carried by dogs are not transmissible to humans and vice versa. The infections such as staph and strep that they might carry are species specific.
According to ABC news, the bites inflicted by humans on humans are more likely to become infected than bites inflicted by dogs on humans. I was relieved I could not find any research regarding human bites and their affect on dogs. I am sure that news would be bad all the way around.
But is a dog's mouth cleaner based on bacteria counts etcetera? The short answer is no. After all, a dog's tongue is not only used for eating and drinking, but also as a washcloth and toilet paper.
I will probably continue to kiss my dogs. Since I work in a dental office, I am certain that my dogs have cleaner mouths than most dogs. I do brush their teeth with special peanut butter flavored toothpaste. I just try not to think too much about the details.
How could you not kiss this face?
Smooch!
Kristine
I worked for a large natural retailer for about ten years and I had the BEST job within that company. It was so amazing! I was in charge of the beer, wine, coffee, cheese, chocolate and olive department. It was easy to get excited about going to work when wine and cheese tasting started at 7am and moved through the afternoon.
I placed wine orders on Tuesdays and the wine representative from the largest company I worked with would come in on Tuesdays, sometimes bringing twenty or so samples. His name was Chris. This was a great thing to get paid to do, except for one thing. Our "tasting room" was basically the place where we did the dishes. It was small and hot and steamy and Chris had breath that smelled like three day old road kill on a hot street in July. It was terrible. It was so bad, I was thinking that he could not possibly taste the wine. How could he detect the subtle nuances of vanilla that French oak imparted into the wines? How could he detect the creaminess of the malolactic fermentation on a California chardonnay with all of the bacteria in his mouth? I could barely stand to be in the hot, steamy tasting room with him and would often delegate the job to one of my employees. It was sad to give up free wine.
I had to do something for Chris. I debated back and forth about what to say and how to say it. I knew it was my responsibility to say something given my family history in dentistry and with the additional knowledge that provided me.
Ultimately, I told him he was my friend and I cared about him and asked him if anyone had ever told him he had bad breath before. To my surprise he said, "Yes, all the time."
"Does that concern you?" I asked.
"Not really," he said. "I have always had bad breath."
"Did you know that it is caused from bacteria?" I asked.
"No," he said.
"Yes," I said. "The same types of bacteria that are found in carcasses and feces. And all of that bacteria can complicate and cause systemic diseases such as diabetes and can increase your chances of a heart attack."
"Wow," he said. "I didn't know."
"I'm only telling you because I care about you. Especially since your profession involves interpersonal relationships with people who have a highly trained sense of smell," I said.
I left the company shortly thereafter. Reports from my old team were that Chris's breath did not improve that much. But at least I did my part to help stop the stink. It was not an easy thing to do, but I feel better that I did it.
Tooth sensitivity generally means that you have twinges of pain in your teeth when brushing, biting down, consuming hot or cold liquids or sweets. Sensitivity can be quite painful when left untreated. It has several potential causes:
- Poor oral hygiene allowing tartar to build up at the gum line and cause infection
- Long term tooth wear
- Clenching and grinding
- Receding gums
- Untreated caries
- Cracked teeth
- Cracked fillings
- Tooth whitening
- Infection
- Excessive pressure
The treatment for sensitivity requires an examination to determine the cause. Some of the treatments may include:
- Regular fluoride treatments
- night guard or splint to be worn during the day or at night
- New fillings or an adjustment of existing fillings
- Crowns
- Gum grafting
- More regular dental visits
- Desensitizing toothpaste
- Avoiding acidic foods
See your dentist for an exact diagnosis and treatment. Tooth sensitivity is not only annoying and troublesome, but also an indicator of an underlying condition. If your teeth are sensitive and it hurts to have them cleaned, request an anesthetic or nitrous oxide to make your dental hygiene visits more comfortable.
We love the men, too, but when it comes to dentistry, women have every right to consider themselves our special guests.
As women begin to have hormonal changes during peri-menopause and menopause, they can begin to see changes in their dental health such as decreased saliva, increased caries (decay), taste alterations, gum disease and bone loss.
Because of these changes, it may become necessary for women to make more regular visits to the dental hygienist in order to keep on top of the changing biology. Instead of the old "every six months," which is a treatment plan recommendation for children and people with very little dentistry, menopausal women may find it beneficial to avoid future problems by having visits three to four times a year. Crisis prevention is still much less expensive than crisis management. Avoid pain and emergencies by planning ahead, taking excellent care of your mouth and by treating yourself as a priority during these coming changes.
Supplements such as calcium and vitamin D can help prevent bone loss. In addition, we offer a wide variety of products in our office to assist in maintaining optimal wellness. We offer prescription strength fluoride toothpaste to prevent caries and sensitivity, mouth rinses to aid in the healing of gum disease, which not only causes bad breath, but also causes many other systematic complications and also the latest in toothbrush technology.
We know your smile is so important to you and we are here to answer questions, address your concerns and to provide you with the five star treatment you deserve.
Dentistry has an important obligation that has received more
and more media coverage over the last five years. Did you know that more than 80% of adults
suffer from some form of gum disease? Eighty percent is an overwhelming
number. Did you know that gum disease
has now been linked to dozens of diseases and conditions including: low birth weight babies, heart
disease, pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, even wrinkly skin
and erectile dysfunction? It seems more
and more systemic illnesses are being connected to gum disease.
Does your dentist take your measurements? Not your body measurements, but the depth of the pocketing in your gums? If you hear numbers at the dentist like "Two, two, one, two, three" then your dentist is measuring the health of your gums. If you have bleeding points or if you hear any numbers greater than three, you should have more frequent cleanings and check ups because that means an active infection exists in your mouth.
Are you thinking, "What does that have to do with my heart?"
A large portion of the population still believes that it is normal for gums to bleed. It is not. Gum disease spreads via the blood stream or inhalation into the lungs and spreads throughout the body causing the systemic diseases, or at the very least, aggravating existing ones.
The fact is, gum disease causes a shorter life expectancy. If your dentist or hygienist is not measuring your gum health, then request that it be done. If they don't do it, find a new dentist. If you have an active infection with measurements over three or bleeding, you should be at the dentist more frequently. Your life depends on it.
ADA News January 19th, 2009
Perio treatment may lower diabetics’ medical costs
Posted Jan. 29, 2009. By Jennifer Garvin
Ann Arbor, Mich.—Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry have discovered that treating periodontal disease may be linked to lower medical costs for diabetics.
Dr. George Taylor, a member of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and an associate professor of dentistry at UM, led the study, which analyzed Blue Care Network claims from 2,674 people with diabetes ages 18 to 64. All of the individuals were enrolled in the Blue Care Network between 2001 and 2005 and had at least 12 consecutive months of medical, dental and pharmaceutical coverage.
“We found insured adults with diabetes in Michigan who received routine periodontal treatment, such as dental cleanings and scaling, have significantly lower medical care costs than those who do not,” Dr. Taylor said. “These results could be meaningful to individuals, employers, health care providers and insurers.”
The study, which has not been published, revealed that medical care costs decreased by an average of 11 percent per month for BCN members who received one or two periodontal treatment procedures annually compared to those who received no treatments. For the patients who received three or four treatments, costs decreased nearly 12 percent.
“The results of our analyses provide additional evidence supporting a beneficial role for periodontal treatment in improving overall health for people with diabetes,” Dr. Taylor said, adding that he hopes the study leads to a pilot program with expanded periodontal treatment benefits that might determine if there would be further reductions in health care costs and improved systemic health and oral health for people with diabetes.
The study was sponsored by a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation.
For more information about the study, visit www.dent.umich.edu
Did you know there is new evidence that if you improve your dental health, you can improve your heart health? It’s true! By following the recommended treatment given to you by your dentist and hygienist, your gums will no longer be infected and your heart will improve without the millions of bacteria in your bloodstream.
Improved gum health can also help your medications work more efficiently. By ridding your body of systemic infection, your medications work more effectively and move more efficiently through the body.
Healthy gums are part of a healthy body! Call today to schedule your necessesary hygiene appointment with our hygienist, Molly.
Gum disease and gingivitis can often accompany pregnancy. Many times, extra measures must be taken to ensure oral health. It is especially important to maintain good oral health during pregnancy because gum disease can cause low birth weight babies and pre-term births. Sometimes, your hygienist may find it necessary to see you more often for hygiene appointments and exams, because bacteria repopulates itself every 30 days, making it difficult to keep under control with just brushing alone.
Women often get pregnancy gingivitis caused by plaque that has not been removed or could not be removed with home care. The plaque then irritates the gums and causes an infection signified by bloody gums and tenderness. Hormone levels can often cause gingivitis during pregnancy. It may be more difficult, but it is possible to control it with the proper home care and more frequent hygiene appointments.