At Southern California Dental Health Associates we feel very strongly that the health of your mouth is essential for your overall health. Your mouth gives us a picture of your health. That’s why we call it a dental health assessment.
In spite of extensive research and numerous attempts at preventing cavities, they are still the most common disease in the world today. At Southern California Dental Health Associates we have seen an increase in the rate of cavities, particularly with the younger population. And the worse part of cavities, they don’t hurt until they close to the nerve, they silently continue to breakdown the tooth. When they affect the nerve the result is often chronic inflammation, something that is very dangerous for your body’s overall health. Chronic inflammation has been linked to many health issues like heart disease, type 2 Diabetes, certain cancers and Alzheimer’s just to name a few. A dental health assessment can reveal whether you have any cavities or abscesses around your teeth.
Gum disease is also a pathway where bacteria can get into your blood stream and cause serious health problems. From a dental standpoint there are two types of gum disease, gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is usually reversible and does not cause any breakdown of your bone and gum tissue. Periodontitis usually involves a breakdown that cannot be reversed, and can be controlled, but the risk never eliminated. However, when it comes to your body, both gingivitis and periodontitis have the same potential to affect your overall health. When your gum tissues get inflamed the blood vessels become porous and all sorts of bacteria from you mouth get into your blood stream. In addition, the entire inflammation process (and this is similar to the inflammation for the tooth abscess mentioned above) creates the inflammatory cascade. This by itself is a danger to your body as often healthy body cells are destroyed in the cascade process.
According to Dr. Bradley Bale, author of Beat the Heart Attack Gene, chronic inflammation has harmful effects on the endothelium, the lining of the blood vessels, which can lead to heart disease. His research has shown that gum disease is a major player in heart disease. Gum disease is considered to be the same risk factor for heart disease as smoking is, Type 1 the highest risk possible. In addition, about 1/3 of all people have an issue with the IL-6 molecule (one of the factors in the cascade) which would allow for an even more aggressive inflammatory response. (This is something we can test for in our office) And new studies have showed that even if you don’t show the clinical signs of gum disease you might have a high enough bacterial load to affect your blood pressure. Bottom line, the healthier your gums are the more likely your body will be healthy.
Another area where a dental health assessment can help you in is with how your teeth function. Are you starting to see a grey edge on the edges of your front teeth? If so you are wearing them down. Did you know that according to Dr. John Kois, arguably one of the top dentists in the world, your teeth should wear at a rate of 1mm every hundred years. Your teeth function like the tires on a car, if the alignment is off the tires wear quicker, the same with your teeth. In addition, if you clench or grind your teeth there is additional wear. There is another aspect of poor function that most people are not aware of. Poor function cannot cause gum disease, but if you develop gum disease it can cause it to be more aggressive and poor function could greatly reduce your ability to heal from any treatment designed to help you battle gum disease. At Southern California Dental Health Associates we understand function and can help assess your dental health in this area.
What we hope you learn from this article is that your mouth is a mirror of your health. At Southern California Dental Health Associates we pride ourselves on our comprehensive dental health assessments. And we have the tools available to help you achieve a healthier mouth and body. Our passion is a healthier you.