Neglecting your teeth? You could be killing yourself
Nov 11, 2007
DO you suffer from headaches, stomach troubles, high blood pressure or kidney problems? Have you checked for the cause or you are still wondering? Then maybe there is one part of your body whose health you have overlooked — your teeth.
By Dr Biren Yajnik
DO you suffer from headaches, stomach troubles, high blood pressure or kidney problems? Have you checked for the cause or you are still wondering? Then maybe there is one part of your body whose health you have overlooked — your teeth.
Strange as it may sound, there is evidence that good oral health is essential for your general wellbeing — and that neglecting your mouth can result into a series of unexplained illnesses elsewhere in your body.
The acknowledgement of the role of the mouth in general health has spawned a growing number of dentists who take a holistic approach to their patients. Holistic dentists do not treat the teeth in isolation, but take into consideration their patients’ general health in every dental decision they make.
A third of your body’s neurology is focused around the mouth. Your mouth is the start of your digestive tract, there are lots of blood vessels and bacteria, and it is where we get our air supply. If you have fillings, their wear may cause you to inhale or swallow the by-products.
And any infection in the mouth can predispose you to other things.
The theory is that low level infection in the mouth, for example, from periodontal (gum) disease or a decaying tooth, can compromise your immune system and exacerbate other health complaints. But before you grab your dental floss in
panic, remember: Having dental problems does not mean you are going to get sick — and fixing your teeth will not cure your chronic illness — it is just worth looking after your teeth!
Recent studies from the American Academy of Periodontology and the US National Institutes of Health link gum disease to a variety of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and low birth weight.
Quite often, dentists can identify oral presentations of systemic disease such as periodontal disease in diabetics and smokers, loss of tooth substance due to gastric reflux, ulcers in individuals who are anaemic or have inflammatory bowel disease or viral and fungal infections in people with compromised immune systems. This relationship works in both directions.
The mouth can have an effect on the body. In patients who have a predisposed heart condition such as “leaking valvesâ€, oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream, which may lead to infective endocarditis, an infection within the heart.
Holistic dentists believe there are four main areas in which one’s dental health may compromise one’s general health.
Gum disease
The mouth harbours millions of bacteria which lead to tooth decay and gum disease.
Eating a lot of refined carbohydrates and not keeping the mouth clean may lead to tooth decay — but holistic dentistry says the problem may be much more serious than the need for a filling.
If one’s gums bleed when brushing or flossing, one is likely to have periodontal disease, the most common infection in adults and children. The stress this places on one’s body, combined with the production of free radicals, is what makes one sick.
A holistic dentist will look at why one may have gum disease, for example, one’s nutrition or body’s pH balance and will thoroughly scale and clean the area.
Root canal
Like gum disease, a decayed tooth can affect one’s health. Decayed teeth used to be extracted, but now, most dentists prefer to save them by doing root canal treatment.
The problem with this, holistic dentists say, is that the nature of a tooth’s root canal makes it impossible to totally sterilise it.
Dental dams and lasers can help, but many people who have root canal surgery are unknowingly left with a low-grade chronic mouth infection, which can only be picked up on an X-ray.
DO you suffer from headaches, stomach troubles, high blood pressure or kidney problems? Have you checked for the cause or you are still wondering? Then maybe there is one part of your body whose health you have overlooked — your teeth.
Strange as it may sound, there is evidence that good oral health is essential for your general wellbeing — and that neglecting your mouth can result into a series of unexplained illnesses elsewhere in your body.
The acknowledgement of the role of the mouth in general health has spawned a growing number of dentists who take a holistic approach to their patients. Holistic dentists do not treat the teeth in isolation, but take into consideration their patients’ general health in every dental decision they make.
A third of your body’s neurology is focused around the mouth. Your mouth is the start of your digestive tract, there are lots of blood vessels and bacteria, and it is where we get our air supply. If you have fillings, their wear may cause you to inhale or swallow the by-products.
And any infection in the mouth can predispose you to other things.
The theory is that low level infection in the mouth, for example, from periodontal (gum) disease or a decaying tooth, can compromise your immune system and exacerbate other health complaints. But before you grab your dental floss in
panic, remember: Having dental problems does not mean you are going to get sick — and fixing your teeth will not cure your chronic illness — it is just worth looking after your teeth!
Recent studies from the American Academy of Periodontology and the US National Institutes of Health link gum disease to a variety of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and low birth weight.
Quite often, dentists can identify oral presentations of systemic disease such as periodontal disease in diabetics and smokers, loss of tooth substance due to gastric reflux, ulcers in individuals who are anaemic or have inflammatory bowel disease or viral and fungal infections in people with compromised immune systems. This relationship works in both directions.
The mouth can have an effect on the body. In patients who have a predisposed heart condition such as “leaking valvesâ€, oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream, which may lead to infective endocarditis, an infection within the heart.
Holistic dentists believe there are four main areas in which one’s dental health may compromise one’s general health.
Gum disease
The mouth harbours millions of bacteria which lead to tooth decay and gum disease.
Eating a lot of refined carbohydrates and not keeping the mouth clean may lead to tooth decay — but holistic dentistry says the problem may be much more serious than the need for a filling.
If one’s gums bleed when brushing or flossing, one is likely to have periodontal disease, the most common infection in adults and children. The stress this places on one’s body, combined with the production of free radicals, is what makes one sick.
A holistic dentist will look at why one may have gum disease, for example, one’s nutrition or body’s pH balance and will thoroughly scale and clean the area.
Root canal
Like gum disease, a decayed tooth can affect one’s health. Decayed teeth used to be extracted, but now, most dentists prefer to save them by doing root canal treatment.
The problem with this, holistic dentists say, is that the nature of a tooth’s root canal makes it impossible to totally sterilise it.
Dental dams and lasers can help, but many people who have root canal surgery are unknowingly left with a low-grade chronic mouth infection, which can only be picked up on an X-ray.