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Dental Health- It’s A Lot More Than Just a Pretty Smile!

In recent years, a beautiful, straight, white smile is seen as a hallmark of beauty and   success.  The public has been mesmerized by before and after images in programs like Extreme Makeover and The Swan.  The popularity of whitening procedures and demand for bleaching products [...]]]>

Dental Health- It’s A Lot More Than Just a Pretty Smile!

In recent years, a beautiful, straight, white smile is seen as a hallmark of beauty and   success.  The public has been mesmerized by before and after images in programs like Extreme Makeover and The Swan.  The popularity of whitening procedures and demand for bleaching products has seen record growth.  Manufactures have responded by marketing numerous whitening products and consumers have snapped them up with sales in the billions of dollars.  In dental practices across the country, dentists report huge interest in bleaching and cosmetic procedures.  It seems that the value of healthy white teeth has never been higher.  In all the excitement over cosmetic improvement, so much great news regarding the value of good dental health has been overlooked.  The purpose of this article is to introduce the myriad other health benefits that good dental health can bring.

1)  I Chew Therefore I Am – the Affect on Nutritional Status

The human tooth is a great example of good design at work.   It sits in the jaw bone that is the most complex joint in the body- two bilateral joints hinged together with multiple muscles that are capable of generating terrific force (172 pounds!)  Because it is encased in the hardest substance in the human body (enamel), it can withstand such force.  The teeth have various forms that allow the consumption of many kinds of food.  For example, we can tear meat and grind grains/vegetables- an ability that ensures multiple sources of nutrition.  Chewing our food effectively is the first stage in the complex digestive cycle.  Chewing food properly allows the digestive enzymes in saliva and the stomach to access a larger surface area of the food and extract more of the nutritional components.    Studies have shown that seniors with the least number of teeth have the lowest levels of nutrition.  This makes sense when you consider that if you can’t chew it well you can’t digest it well.  Those folks with few teeth choose foods that typically are highly refined and easily chewed-and are the least nutritious.  Today, nutritionists are telling us to increase our intake of high fiber fruits vegetables and whole grains to ensure optimal health and prevent heart disease and cancer.  This task is extremely difficult without a full complement of teeth.  The message – Save your teeth and replace the missing ones with a prosthesis to ensure effective chewing and digestion of adequate nutrition.

2) Passing on the Kooties- The Disease of Decay

Tooth decay is a communicable disease.  It is catch able like the common cold.  The worst culprit is a bacterium called Streptococcus mutans.  This bug colonizes the tooth enamel and feeds on the carbohydrates that are part of our diet.  The little critter excretes acid waste products that dissolve away the enamel exposing the sensitive underlying structures and causing pain.  Toothaches have afflicted Mankind since the Caveman! In short, in order to have decay you must have teeth, Streptococcus mutans and a food source. Infants are born without teeth and so have no Streptococcus mutans..  They acquire it from their mothers.  The bacteria is passed from mother to baby in saliva (ie on food/spoon that Mom tests first or from kissing)   If teeth have erupted than the cycle of decay is again entrenched.  Obviously if Mom has high levels of decay and therefore high bacterial loads the transfer of bacteria is greater.  Studies have shown that mothers with poor dental health have a seven-fold increase in premature labour and low-weight babies.  The message- Moms should reduce their bacterial loads through the repair of decayed teeth and excellent oral hygiene practices as part of pre and post natal care.

3)  Don’t Break My Heart- The Affect on Cardiovascular Health

The teeth sit in a supportive tissue called the Periodontium.  It is comprised of the underlying jaw bone, the gingival or gum tissue, and the periodontal ligament that connects the tooth root to the bone.  Unfortunately, many adults have disease of this structure called periodontitis or gum disease. As in decay, it is caused by several bacteria that invades the tooth socket and lining periodontium.  The toxins these bugs produce destroy the surrounding cells.  This causes the body to mount an immune reaction against these invaders called an inflammatory response.  The effect of this causes the demise of the bacteria and nearby innocent by-stander tissues.  The results are loss of bone and gingival tissues, loose and/or lost teeth and chronic infection.  The signs of periodontitis  includes bleeding gums, loose teeth and terrible breathe.  Remarkably, until the destruction is advanced, the process is painless and is often ignored.  The inflammatory effect on the body is significant.  Imagine a 9.6 square cm lesion( which is the combined surface area of the peridontium lining the tooth sockets)  on the leg that bleeds, oozes pus and releases noxious odors.  Such a lesion will have negative consequences on ones overall health!

Indeed, the Inflamatory response is undergoing indepth study and is now thought to be a significant factor in the development of cardiovascular disease including hypertension and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The products of the inflammatory response – the white blood cells and chemicals that kill invaders get circulated around the body in the blood.  They act on the blood vessels by making them less elastic, which in turn increases the blood pressure and subsequent demands on the heart.  The more inflammation you have, the higher the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.  The message- reduce the odds of developing inflammation by reducing bacteria in the periodontium.  This is easily done with excellent oral hygiene practices and regular professional care by your dentist and dental hygienist.

Great dental health can improve the quality and maybe quantity of life.  And that is something to smile about!!

Dr. Lucy C. Lamond, DDS

published 2007