Education for Disease Prevention

The modern diet has created the modern disease

Early humans were hunter-gatherers who had tooth wear but good oral health and function. When Agriculture arrived, the type of bacteria shifted as well—it became such that it is prone to gum disease and cavities. The cultural rise of sucrose, especially in the era of the industrial revolution provided regular sugar for the masses and lead to the creation of a new profession, dentistry, due to the massive up-tic in cavities. Further changes in food processing, distribution, advertising, and global health under duress have rapidly entrenched these diseases further within society. 

Animal Products, Taken As A Group:

1) Have major health harm, especially on cardiovascular health. This is clearly established in medicine, despite widespread misinformation. 

2) Are often processed with added sugar and fat to make them palatable, furthering the negative health outcomes

3)As a group, animal products have much more of what is bad for you (fat, cholesterol) while plant-based diets have much more of what is good for you (vitamins and minerals)

4)Plant-based foods actually heal damage to your arteries

5) The number one killer in America is cardiovascular disease (corona-virus excluded)

6)The only known cure for cardiovascular disease is a plant-based whole food consistent diet. 

7)Though often confused, enough protein is easily eaten via plant-based foods: your daily requirement is about 2/5 your body weight taken as grams, some sources report as much as 30 g/ day being sufficeient

8)For 150 lb. person*2/5=60 g; A cup of lentils has 18 grams of protein, a third of your daily value!

Diabetes

Diabetes is associated with poor outcomes in the mouth including a higher incidence of periodontal disease. Reducing or eliminating sugar will prevent or cure many cases of Type II diabetes. Of course this should be done with close healthcare guidance. The oral benefits of sugar control are enormous. Plant whole foods rather than processed sugars consistently is a cure for Type Two Diabetes Mellitus. 

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

Similar to diabetes there is a significant negative oral health link with CVD. Only plant-based diets have been shown to reverse CVD. High blood sugar and or cholesterol are devastating causes of vessel damage. Diet is the major driver for many chronic disease processes. 

1) If the diet isn't right brushing your teeth WILL NOT prevent oral disease in itself

2)Too much oral health education revolves around tooth brushing or flossing because trying to change your diet is really hard

3)By far, the most effective way to avoid cavities in your teeth is to, when possible, reduce the FREQUENCY of meals while at the same time eating less sucrose. 

4)Many things contribute to cavities, not just insufficient tooth brushing/flossing

·       Insufficient Fluoride exposure—Be sure you know your source of consistent and sufficient amount of Fluoride.

·       Reducing sugar frequency is often overlooked by patients. Drinking sugars must be avoided as a habit

·       Plant based whole foods are great! They need chewing, which causes healthy salivary flow that cleans and maintains the teeth while mechanically cleaning your teeth.

Some habits that will help promote Oral Health

1) Quitting Sugar....or...Reducing frequency of sugar (eating a treat in one session rather than 4 etc...)

2) Flossing morning and evening

3) Brushing your teeth extremely thoroughly at least once per day

4) Chewing gum, using toothpicks, mints

5) Quit/Avoid Smoking

6) Stick closest to Whole Plant-Based Foods that require chewing

Bleeding Gums indicates gingivitis or periodontitis.

Solving this problem can consist of:

Daily Flossing

Regular dental Cleaning

Daily Brushing

Adding a mouthwash

There are many causes  of  "Bad Breath"
All true bad breath indicates a substantial bacterial presence in, or around the mouth. These bacteria are in the teeth, gums, tongue, throat, tonsils or elsewhere. 

Solving this problem consists of the removal of the bacteria by:

1)flossing the teeth consistently

2)scraping the tongue with metal scrapers (not your toothbrush, this is not effective enough)

3)treating cavities in the teeth

4)treating gum disease

5)removing tonsillar stones

6)reducing oral dryness with sugar-free gums, mints, toothpicks, or rinses.

7)treating other potential infection in or around the mouth

A cavity is a change in the natural structure of the tooth due to the established presence of specific bacteria and their acidic byproducts. Once established they often spread in size and effect until they are removed or carefully covered. Today, we understand cavities to be a preventable disease. Filling cavities without removing the cause is highly undesirable because the disease continues, often progressing more rapidly around fillings. For this reason, cavities can only be correctly treated effectively with the help of the patient. 

Having a specific cavity-causing bacteria introduced to the mouth is an absolute prerequisite to developing cavities. We are literally infected by this bacteria at a young age, often by our older loved ones through kisses or utensil sharing. This is often inevitable but should be attempted to be avoided while the child learns proper oral hygiene and dietary control. 

The cause of cavities is typically a combination of:

1) Frequent Sucrose in the diet, is also a prerequisite for cavities, without which they don't develop.

2) Poor saliva flow aka dry mouth, leading to poor neutralization of bacterial acids and poor remineralization of the teeth following exposure to sucrose. 

3) Poor fluoride frequency, or poor initial fluoride exposure to the developing teeth 

4) Poor removal of bacterial colonies from the teeth by brushing and flossing

Patients choice to use fluoride or not in various forms will be respected by this practice, though it is highly encouraged in a targeted approach

Fluoride is a useful and quite natural tool

Those against fluoride often neglect the following well-established facts: 

1) Fluoride is a natural mineral humans have consumed naturally and consistently for time immemorial through the consumption of small amounts of dirt on food, or in water from the ground often steeped with it.

2) Modern Food and washing removes natural fluoride and leaves many modern communities deficient in this important mineral

3) The health benefits of fluoride are due to the topical effects of the mineral. This means leaving it on your teeth and then spitting it out will strengthen the teeth. If you choose to filter fluoride out of your water it is best practice to use fluoride toothpaste. 

Fluoride is essential for the proper development of teeth in children, however, a higher degree of moderation should be used due to this interaction with the developing teeth. 

Newly erupted teeth should be exposed to fluoride to give them the protective benefits of this mineral. Some basic guidelines are:

1)Know your child's fluoride sources. In Salt Lake City the municipal water is appropriately fluoridated, meaning your child should get some basic mineralization through food and drink. 

2)Brush the child's teeth with a pea-size amount of fluoridated toothpaste. Aside from teaching the child how to brush, getting fluoride contact is the main benefit of toothpaste for children 

3)Floss the teeth that are touching each other

4)Bring the child to regular dental visits to monitor the effectiveness of their fluoride and potentially apply regular fluoride varnishes

The child benefits from ingested fluoride, as in city water, more than the adult because it creates well-mineralized teeth "through and through", rather than just on the surface. As a cavity progresses there is, therefore, more immediate resistance for these "through and through" well-mineralized teeth. For adults, the benefit is purely topical, meaning from the secretion of ingested fluoride in the saliva, rather than in the deep matrix of the developing teeth as with the child.

We support fluoridation and consumption of city water because the benefits are often to the most underserved components of our community with a 50% or more reduction of cavity activity for these populations being a well established "crown jewel" of modern public health. 

As with anything, amount matters, too much of a good thing is a bad thing and this is the case with fluoride as well. City municipal water is typically dialed to a very balanced 1 ppm, which fortunately is a true sweet spot where the benefits are visible and "overdosing" isn't observed. 

This is a somewhat complicated topic. As always, for more nuanced and specific discussion come in to talk with us at Sundrop Dental Clinic. 

One of the most common causes of Jaw Pain is overuse

These overuse activities typically include:

1)Clenching, Grinding--often with the individual not being aware of this, and commonly results in heightened jaw joint or jaw muscle pain in the morning.

2)Over chewing on "gum" or toothpicks or similar objects

3)Long bouts of talking

4)Brief instance of extreme force under compromised leverage such as when opening wide and biting into an apple

Some basic guidelines for avoiding exacerbations are:

1)Avoiding chewing gums

2) Cutting up "big foods" such as apples

3)Wearing a dentally prescribed bite guard

4)Stress reduction and exercise to "let off" anxious energy in the body.  

In severe cases there often is no solution, aside from the management of symptoms. In simple cases stopping the overuse, activity can lead to a resolution in a matter of weeks. In more serious cases a dental device may be required to assess the cause and potentially help in reducing the symptoms. 

Because of the commonality and complexity of this topic, a dentist should be consulted for further help on diagnosis prevention and resolution of symptoms. 

Dental sensitivity on multiple teeth is typically caused by a combination of:
1) Your tooth brushing routine

2)Acidic content in your diet

3)Insufficient re-mineralization of the teeth

4)exposed dentin (underlaying tooth structure) due to breaks, cracks, cavities.

Brushing your teeth right after consuming something acidic such as coffee, wine, citrus, or sodas is not recommended. The reason being that after you consume this food your teeth are "softened" by the acids which means the toothbrush is able to brush away this tooth structure. This will then expose a more sensitive underlying tooth structure that isn't as "hard" as the more mineralized layers that are consistently exposed healing minerals in the saliva. This is also why sensitivity and notching of the teeth at the gums go hand in hand. 

Solving this problem can consist of:

1)Using desensitizing toothpaste

2)Timing your brushing before meals. Brushing in the morning prior to eating is best. This is because the teeth have mineralized during the night and it removes the bacteria prior to eating, so they cant consume the free sugars in the food and affect the teeth. 

3)Professional desensitization

4)Dental fillings to cover exposed tooth structure and fill in visible notching in the tooth, or more extensive treatment, such as crowns, to protect cracks or breaks.