We all basically know what is required to live a healthy life, right? . . . proper diet, rest and exercise; but its what we don't know that can harm us and our families. Who would have ever thought our mouths would play such an extremely important part in overall health? . . . Periodontal disease . . aka . . gum disease, gingivitis, inflammation, and bleeding gums. When I first heard this my mind swirled with questions, primarily "How is this possible?". My curiosity fueled the search for some answers. Out of all the information I came across, it had to be the Surgeon General Report entitled "Oral Health in America", published in May 2000, that startled me most. It stated that periodontal (gum) disease effects a person's overall health, and also contributes to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lung disease, kidney disease, anemia, hemophilia, premature births and underweight births.
. . .Whew, that was a mouth full . . . wait a minute, a mouth full of what? . . . Bugs ! . . . yep that's right, better know as "bacteria". So what's it doing in our mouths ? I kinda knew this, but then again I didn't . . the reason that there is bacteria in the mouth . . is to aid in the digestion of our food. I always heard that our saliva did that . . I didn't know that bacteria helped. Then I found out that there are over 6 billion bacteria in the intestinal tract . . once again, to aid in the digestion of our food. So if they are suppose to be there, what's the problem ?
Bacteria is a living organism, it eats and digest their food as we do . . . its the toxins in their waste . . Yep, you heard right . . that is causing the problem.
. . .Whew, that was a mouth full . . . wait a minute, a mouth full of what? . . . Bugs ! . . . yep that's right, better know as "bacteria". So what's it doing in our mouths ? I kinda knew this, but then again I didn't . . the reason that there is bacteria in the mouth . . is to aid in the digestion of our food. I always heard that our saliva did that . . I didn't know that bacteria helped. Then I found out that there are over 6 billion bacteria in the intestinal tract . . once again, to aid in the digestion of our food. So if they are suppose to be there, what's the problem ?
Bacteria is a living organism, it eats and digest their food as we do . . . its the toxins in their waste . . Yep, you heard right . . that is causing the problem.
But I still was asking "How?" . . . then in conversation, a friend conveyed the best explanation. My friend asked me if I knew anyone that had heart problems and had to take nitroglycerine when they experienced chest pains, I said "yes" . . . they went on to explain that this person has been instructed to place a tablet under their tongue . . that the medication may dissolve and enter the bloodstream more rapidly, thus providing the relief they seek. The same thing is happening with the bacterial toxins . . they are entering into the bloodstream and "transported" to different organs in the body. I could see it, it made legitimate sense to me. So there you have it, a kinda lengthy condensed verison, but hey, this is a blog, tell me what you think.
Link to Surgeon General Report: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/oralhealth/
Best to you, Steve
Link to Surgeon General Report: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/oralhealth/
Best to you, Steve
Pretty gross about the "bugs" doing their business in our mouths. I have heard that bad breath is not necessarily caused by what we eat,would this be the cause?
ReplyDeleteYes and no, I believe we would all agree that onions can give you bad breath . . but "bacterial activity" does play a signficant part. If we don't keep our mouths clean (by brushing, flossing and irrigating), bad breath will surely make itself known.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting is the lack of concern that seems to prevelant in the realm of Oral Hygiene.
ReplyDeletePeople spend $15-$20 to get their nails cleaned clipped and polished and then the same or more for their toes. Women don't think a thing about spending $75-$100 getting someone to color or perm their hair. Countless amounts of money and time is spent in the gym excercising. People will pay STUPID prices for food the is "organic, free range, etc... Yet the average person spends less than 2 minutes per day taking care of their teeth. Granted eating right, exercising, and looking good are important, VERY IMPORTANT. But what good is all of that if you are neglecting what is a direct link to your overall health. My dentist told me one time, "no matter how good I may be, YOU are ulitmately responsible for YOUR oral health." He's right! If I am lucky I only have to see him a couple of times a year. The rest of the time it's up to me.
Bugs taking a crap in my mouth! I could have gone all day without that visual? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've been seeing alot of information about the connection between a person's oral health and their overall health. What has been mentioned in everything I've read is inflammation. Its frightening because inflammation is a root cause of many serious diseases. It is our responsiblity to do the things to keep us healthy. No one elses.
ReplyDeleteHey Dawn, good point regarding inflammation, I recently read that in a one-month Google News search, there was 9000 stories published on inflammation . . . check back as this is an important topic for discussion.
ReplyDeleteNot much has been said about the tongue ?? What is the best method to cleaning the tongue since we cannot remove it and put it in the dishwasher?
ReplyDeletejimw
Your right James, the tongue has a tendency to get ignored. There are several methods and tools to effectively clean the tongue. First off, is a tongue cleaner/scraper . . there are many designs, the most common is a "T" bar design, a plastic construction with casted ridges to collect bacterial build-up from the tongue. Another tool is the Hydro Floss oral irrigator, the whole oral cavity can be cleaned with this tool. I have found that I will reduce the pressure when cleaning the tongue. Both of these tools can be found at hydrofloss.com
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