I have a personal story to tell regarding the teeth and the
gums. Hopefully this will motivate the reader to seriously start to take
adequate care of their teeth and gums. The medical profession is well
aware of the implications of healthy teeth and gums reflecting on general health,
especially cardiovascular problems, but there is much more. I have
read there are two main portals to the bloodstream, externally that is, one is
the eyes, the other is through gums that are diseased. When gums
bleed that is a sign of an open path to the bloodstream, but it is also an open path of the bacteria that resides in the mouth. This results in
inflammation that is triggered by free
radicals that come to your defense and as we have learned there is also a down
side to free radicals. They have a nasty habit in leaving wastes. Inflammation is most likely one of the causes of heart disease and if you haven't brushed up on the
latest
in Homocystein and C-Reactive Protein markers in the blood stream,
perhaps this is a good time to start. Excess Inflammation anywhere in
the body including the gums could also migrate to the skin.
I had a
dad that had Esophagus cancer and there is no question in my mind the state
of his teeth and his gums played a major part in his problem, that took him too
soon. It is very
simple to derive that when one cannot adequately masticate their foods because
of the discomfort of ailing teeth and gums it is going to negatively impact the esophagus
and the whole alimentary tract, which includes the ability to uptake nourishment.
One of the most important roles the teeth have in the mastication of the
food is to make whatever nourishment you are taking in
"Available". There are a multitude of digestive enzymes on the
market and I personally use them, but if you don't masticate your food
sufficiently, digestive enzymes are not going to cut it for you.
Most do not know that Birds have a mission in transporting whole seed and depositing them in a very favorable/fertilized growing environment, to prevent land erosion, but people are not birds, they must obtain as much as they can from well masticated foods.
There is of course the Acid reflux dilemma that some encounter and in many cases it is just a simple matter of masticating your food properly to avoid this problem and the grave consequences that can follow. There are many more reasons to take adequate care of your teeth and gums, but instead lets get started with how to take adequate care and this old retired farmer/fruit peddler is going to tell you how.
Tums should not be the total answer as there is an excess of calcium in some of these products and not the perfect calcium that you derive from fish
etc. A solution to digestive problems is a daily smoothie and we have a feature that will give you the most effective smoothie you can do for many health issues and digestive will be on the top of the list. The link to the smoothie is...
http://www.blueeyedcurse.com/smoothies.htm
Regular dental check-ups should top the list. I personally have a plaque problem so 4 visits a year to the dentist is my regimen. One visit to a Periodontist who really gives my gums a work out when he cleans. He calls it a deep cleaning. Being a man, I cannot relate to childbirth, but my guess is this is pretty close to that. (My wife emphatically disputes my comparison). I don't look forward to it, but I keep the appointments. I went through the Gum shaving procedure, and if I can avoid another episode in my lifetime with that and it takes a once a year deep cleaning to do it, this is what I will do. The other 3 visits are to a technician for regular cleaning and inspection by the good Doctor and she is aggressive. If you do not have a technician that is aggressive and gets under the gums look for another technician.
What I am going to describe and illustrate to you below is a process I use every day. You could possibly say it is "much" perhaps eccentric, but again I look at the consequences being a great deal more of a concern than what people think. I was fanatical in my agricultural career and it just has stuck to my ribs.
Before
I get into the brushes below, I have a Waterpic device that irrigates most of the
food particles out of and between my teeth before brushing. This is a common
tool, but I am
surprised how few people take advantage of it. I use the new Interplac.
Your best bet is to go on the Internet and look for the one that is AC powered.
Don't go for the cheaper battery operated devices. The larger AC powered device is compact and doesn't take up much footprint on my sink top,
yet it has
enough capacity (if I fill it right up) to do the job. I use the top speed and it goes through a full container of liquid in less
than a minute. I just can't imagine anyone not using a device of this
nature before they brush their teeth, let alone floss. I flossed some food
under a crown one time that put me in agony and I decided to change this process
in a hurry. The Interplak/water pic device is the way to start. To me it is a much better alternative to flossing.
There are some advantages to flossing and this will be discussed below.
The brushes on the right have been put into the same cup we use for dipping the brushes and you can see where we crush the cup around the brushes and place a piece of paper towel around it before we put it away in the drawer.The three standard brushes above and on the right consist of 2 that are a little stiff and the Dentist gives me a little hell when he sees that I am what he calls being a little "aggressive" on my gums. I have tried to correct this. The third brush is a real soft one that I use on my gums and tongue.
Note: I have gone through 3 different Waterpic devices in the past couple of years. They just stopped pumping. I was told to use a little white vinegar in the container. I do two water pic sessions a day and only do the vinegar on the night session. The white vinegar dissolves the calcium and minerals that are clogging up the device. I bought a half a gallon and hide it in the bathroom and have small container that I use to pour in the device. Just a couple of ounces once a day should do the trick.
Below on the left is a pack of special toothpicks. They are called
Doctor's Brush Picks and if you enter that into the Internet search line a
group of vendors w
ill
surface. You can buy about a hundred for 2 bucks. I buy the 6
packs so I can distribute the handy plastic containers to different locations
in the house and vehicles. They claim they are the best toothpick you
can buy. I have tried many different kinds and this toothpick is the
best by far. They are two ended with a very small rather effective brush
on one end that is great for dislodging food particles and to loosen plaque.
The other end has a very sharp point and has a serrated edge on two sides that
works real well in removing plaque between the teeth and especially close to
the gums where periodontal disease and not to sound like a broken record where
cardiovascular problems really get going. They have suspected for
years that cardiovascular issues really propagate with functional bacteria in
the mouth primarily because of the potential open sources of invasion
into the blood stream. Now it is a slam dunk in the medical circles what
a threat periodontal disease presents.
We have a high fiber smoothie every day made with a 3 hp high speed blender. One of the components is ginger. Occasionally a small piece of it will not be completely blended and I will find a piece between my teeth and that is after supper and my nightly irrigator with the Water Pic device described above in this feature.
There is a place for flossing and I am sure your dental hygienist will agree. There are circumstances in some mouths where you cannot use the toothpicks above in some areas between the teeth. This also includes Interplak use. The answer to this is flossing in very tight areas. My concern for jamming food particles between my caps and bridges still remain and if I do floss which is seldom I will floss very carefully and leave the delicate areas to the picks and waterpic.
Root canals Pose Health Threat
http://www.mercola.com/article/dental/rootcanal/root_canals.htm
This information is intended to heighten awareness of potential health care alternatives and should not be considered as medical advice. See your qualified health-care professional for medical attention, advice, diagnosis, and treatments.