Here it is the end of January 2016 and I am writing my first blog of the year. Feels good to be back as I spent 10 days in Florida. Some of the time was at the best dental meeting ever (thank you all of the fusionistas at CareerFusion) and the timing was right to stay a few days with some important friends in my life and then my lovely mother joined me to be at the wedding of a young man I have seen grow and mature from birth. And what a beautiful night that was, love filled the air. (check out the pictures, they let cars drive on the beach in Daytona Beach)
So, what can I do? It’s up to you. You know Southern California Dental Health Associated care for your dental health. I want to remind you that your dental health is also about your overall health. Any type of infection in the mouth can be a risk factor for any numerous health issues like heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s to name a few.
Let’s talk about gum disease for a minute. If your gums bleed when you brush, floss, or use softpicks or any type of in between teeth cleaner you have gum disease. Lets be clear that the bacteria “biofilm” causes gum disease. However, the bleeding and eventual breakdown of your gums and bone that support your teeth is strictly from your body trying to fight off the bacteria. There are multiple factors in this body verses bacteria battle including genetics and the host’s (that’s you) susceptibility, for example, if you already have other risk factors like smoking or diabetes. But the best way to describe how gum disease affects both your mouth and the resto of your body is to say your body is going “RAMBO” on itself, or to call it an autoimmune response….your body is attacking itself.
If you know me or have been following this blog you know how passionate I am about prevention. The entire team at Southern California Dental Health Care feel the same way. Dental disease is preventable. And I personally scour my dental literature, belong to progressive prevention based dental organizations and do my best to keep up with the latest science and tools to help keep you healthy.
It is with great sadness that I have to tell every single one of you that all the literature and personal observations of dentists from around the world have come up with one definite conclusion. The best case scenario for a patient’s dental health is impecible personal dental hygiene. You can go to the best dentist in the world, you can spend thousands of dollars for your dental treatment. But if you don’t do what you need to do, the risk of failure of the dental work or recurrence of chronic inflammation (technical term for low grade to acute painful dental infections) increases and for some people dramatically.
For those of you who feel you are doing everything right then you need to find an office that can help support you with other tools to help reduce your risk of dental disease.
That’s why I titled this blog What can I do? …..educate you. It’s up to you…..no one can put a value on your own health besides you. And the benefits of great home care are for you….increased health, less dental discomfort and less costly dental care.
WHAT CAN I DO?…IT’S UP TO YOU!!