5 Tips For Keeping Your Teeth and Mouth In Good Shape!

7 Health Problems Your Dentist Can Spot

Open wide! Your mouth can reveal a lot about your health — from heart problems to bone disease to dementia.

Ouch — no one likes to get bad news in the dentist’s chair. But good dental health is a reflection of good health overall — and how well you take care of your teeth may reflect how well you take care of the rest of your body. That’s why your dentist can tell you a lot more about your health than simply the state of your mouth. A routine dental exam may reveal problems with your bones, heart, or digestion because certain warning signs live inside your mouth.

And not only can routine dental check-ups reveal certain health problems, they may also prevent them. In fact, a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association found that people who received regular teeth cleanings and scrapings had a 24 percent lower risk of heart attack and 13 percent lower risk of stroke compared to people who didn’t get such dental care.

1. DEMENTIA

Poor oral hygiene may even be a risk factor for dementia, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. Scientists at the University of California followed more than 5,000 elderly people over 18 years and found that those who brushed their teeth less than once a day were up to 65 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who brushed daily. The researchers speculate that this is because gum disease bacteria might get into the brain and cause inflammation.

2.  HEART PROBLEMS

Research has found a surprising number of links between the state of your dental health and your heart. Inflamed gums and loose teeth can be warnings of heart disease. If you have a gum disease like periodontitis, the bacteria in your gums could travel to your heart and contribute to coronary artery disease. Bacteria may also increase your risk for heart disease by contributing to the formation of clots or further plaque build-up in your arteries that can interfere with blood flow to the heart. 

3. DIABETES

The most common dental health condition for diabetics? Gum disease. "Gum disease, bleeding gums, and loose teeth are all warning signs of diabetes," Dr. Koslow says. "Diabetics also tend to have a slower healing time." Infections at your gum line can worsen the state of your diabetes and can contribute to the risk for heart disease and stroke, so it’s important to take steps to keep your mouth healthy (and your diabetes under control). 

4. OSTEOPOROSIS

"Osteoporosis does not cause changes in the teeth, but it does cause changes in the bone that supports the teeth," Koslow explains. "This may show up as a receding gum line and loose teeth." 

5. EATING DISORDERS

Eating disorders can cause poor nutrition, which can lead to oral conditions like bleeding gums and dry mouth. In addition, "erosion on the insides of the front teeth may be a sign of forced vomiting in a young person with bulimia — stomach acid wears away at enamel and also makes teeth more sensitive," says Koslow.

6. NIGHTTIME REFLUX

"Erosion of enamel from the insides of teeth, especially the upper back molars, is a clue to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)," Koslow says. Reflux of stomach juices can happen at night --- but you may not be aware of it until your dentist sees its effects on your dental health.

7. DRY MOUTH 

Saliva helps to wash away bacteria and debris that lead to cavities and gum disease.  if you’re producing too little saliva, your dentist will know. Dry mouth may be caused by medications or it may be a sign of a disease such as diabetes or Parkinson's disease. The solution? Up your fluid intake, and your dentist may even suggest a saliva substitute. 

To learn more on each of these topics, read more from the original source here.

10 Toothbrushing Mistakes

10 Toothbrushing Mistakes 

From WebMD

Toothbrushing is such an ingrained habit, few people think twice about it. But as with any habit, you can get sloppy, and that can lead to cavities and gum disease.

Here, dentists and oral health experts point out 10 common toothbrushing mistakes and how to fix them.

7 Ways to Control Your Sugar Cravings

Source: Everyday Health

Whether it's bread and pasta or chocolate and cookies you crave, here are seven easy ways to take control of your sugar habit — and your health.

Oral Piercings May = Oral Problems :-P

Oral piercings are all part of today's popular form of body art and self-expression. Piercing may seem daring, cool and totally safe, but piercing the tongue, lips, cheeks or uvula (the tiny tissue that hangs at the back of the throat) is not as safe as some would have you believe. Why? The mouth’s moist environment, home to huge amounts of breeding bacteria, is an ideal place for infection.

We know...it makes us cringe, too!

An oral piercing can interfere with speech, chewing or swallowing. That may seem like a mere inconvenience until you consider that it may also cause:

• Excessive drooling (something you won’t see in hip fashion magazines!) 
• Infection, pain and swelling 
• Chipped or cracked teeth
• Injuries to the gums
• Damage to fillings
• Increased saliva flow
• Hypersensitivity to metals
• Scar tissue
• Nerve damage

These harmful effects can happen during the piercing, soon after, or even long after the procedure.

An infection can quickly become life threatening if it’s not treated promptly. For example, oral piercing carries a potential risk of endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart valves or tissues. Bacteria can enter the bloodstream through the piercing site in the mouth and travel to the heart, where it can colonize on heart abnormalities. This is a risk for people with heart conditions and, in the worst of cases, results in death.

After a piercing the tongue may swell. There have been reports of swelling serious enough to block the airway. And it’s very possible to puncture a nerve during a tongue piercing. If this happens, you may experience a numb tongue...nerve damage that is sometimes temporary, but can be permanent. The injured nerve may affect your sense of taste, or how you move your mouth. And damage to the tongue’s blood vessels can cause serious blood loss.

In addition, piercing jewelry can sometimes cause allergic responses to the pierced site. The jewelry can even get in the way of dental care by blocking x-rays.

Don’t pierce on a whim. The piercing will be an added responsibility to your life, requiring constant attention and upkeep. Talk to your dentist for more information.

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Eating Disorders and Your Oral Health

It has been estimated that more than 10 million Americans currently are affected by serious eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. While anyone can suffer from an eating disorder, they are most common in teen and young adult women. Eating disorders can have a large negative impact on an individual’s quality of life.

Given time, eating disorders like bulimia may lead to serious dental problems. Repeated vomiting can result in loss of tooth enamel, tooth decay, and gum disease. After frequent exposure to gastric acid, teeth become rounded and soft, as enamel is eaten away and fillings may stick out above the gum line. Loss of enamel and unconscious grinding of the teeth, usually during sleep, are the two most common causes of tooth loss. 

Without the proper nutrition, gums and other soft tissue inside your mouth may bleed easily. The glands that produce saliva may swell. Individuals may experience chronic dry mouth. Throwing up frequently can affect teeth, too. When strong stomach acid repeatedly flows over teeth, the tooth’s outer covering (enamel) can be lost to the point that the teeth change in color, shape and length. The edges of teeth become thin and break off easily. Eating hot or cold food or drink may become uncomfortable.  

Make your dentist a part of your cancer treatment team!

Never thought your dentist could help with your cancer treatment? They can! Cancer treatments can effect all parts of your body, including your mouth. Your oral health can make a difference in how your cancer treatment proceeds, and an unhealthy mouth can increase the risk of developing oral side effects to cancer therapies and can even interfere with the treatment. 

How can your dentist help? Your dentist can be a very important part of your treatment team!

• Your dentist can help begin your treatments with a healthy mouth. 
• Your dentist can relieve oral side effects of treatments.

What do you mean "oral side effects?"