oral hygiene Archives - Mindfully Written

Dental Health Pt. 3 – How sugar affects your teeth

In the past two weeks we’ve talked about why it’s important to take care of your teeth and mouth (also known as dental health or oral hygiene) and how to properly care for your teeth and mouth. The last topic on this dental health kick is about sugar. I know – I would rather maintain my ignorance about it too, but it’s a big deal.

During my recent dental visit, my dentist mentioned sugar. I was feeling very honest that day. Perhaps I knew he could tell by my teeth if I was lying or not anyway, so I might as well come clean. He informed me, quite nonchalantly, that sugar is nasty for teeth. I knew that, but I didn’t know what about it was doing harm.

It’s All About Balance

Just like most things, our bodies have a pH. If you remember back to chemistry, the pH scale measures hydrogen ion concentration and goes from 0-14 with 7 being neutral (like water). 0-6 is considered acidic and 8-14 being basic or alkaline. You’re wondering what this has to do with anything, right?! Stay with me.

The reason pH matters is our bodies have pH and keeping those levels consistent is important for homeostasis, or proper functioning of the body. In recent years, I’ve seen more and more reference to pH of foods because most of us eat (and drink) heavily acidic foods and beverages. This creates excess acidity in our bodies and can create an environment for pathogens to grow, organs to work less efficiently and so on. The focus here is teeth, but if you’re interested in diet, pH and overall health, here is a great simple introduction to pH and diet from Kris Carr – whole-foods expert – and here is a simple chart showing pH of certain foods.

Sugar, pH and the Mouth

Ok, let’s put this all together. When we eat sugar, it changes the pH of our mouth. What happens is the tons of bacteria that naturally live in the mouth eat the sugar and create a more acidic environment which can lead to demineralization of the teeth. Less strong teeth equals more possibility of tooth breakdown, decay and cavities. Makes sense, right. To take this one step further, it’s not so much the amount of sugar consumed, it’s the frequency. If you casually snack on jelly beans all day, you’ll have a longer term pH effect than if you ate the whole bag in a 2-minute sitting. I’m not advocating eating whole bags of jelly beans (or anything for that matter), but it’s something to think about considering many foods today, mostly processed foods, sneak in crazy amounts of sugar. I’m just as guilty here – sweets are my vice – but I’d rather be an informed sugar addict than an ignorant one!

To take this, again, one step further, if this is what is occurring at the mouth level when consuming sugar, imagine the greater consequences throughout the whole body! It’s not just about your teeth, or the size of your thighs, we’re talking health here.

What do you think about this? New information? Habit changing? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Dental Health Pt. 2 – Why Does It Matter Anyway?

by Amber Erickson

Dental health really only affects your teeth, right? Wrong! Very, very wrong.

Taking care of your teeth, gums and general oral cavity carries much greater importance than just having pearly whites. The mouth is the gateway to the internal body – we’re talking organs, circulation and the heart. Poor oral hygiene can lead to elevated levels of harmful bacteria in the mouth, which can lead to problems in other areas of the body.

Many people don’t make regular visits to their dentist. It’s relatively common to only visit a dentist with pain or some tooth issue, but doing this misses the whole point of dental visits.

What Do Dentists Do Anyway?

Visiting the dentist is more than just getting a deep clean and removing plaque buildup. The role of the dentist is to look at the whole mouth and assess the possibility of disease. But even beyond the mouth, dentists are assessing the muscles of the head, neck and jaw, checking for lumps or abnormalities and potential problems with the salivary glands, tongue and/or nervous system. Everything from cavities to gum disease is best if caught early and only leads to bigger (and more expensive) problems if ignored.

Health Implications of Poor Dental Health

So if you don’t brush, floss or get regular checkups, you might get an oral disease or lose your teeth later in life. It seems many are willing to take that risk out of fear or aversion to dental visits. It’s understandable, the dentist is hardly fun (although I do enjoy the feeling of super clean teeth afterward and the renewed motivation to floss), but going to the dentist can also help prevent a host of other health issues including:

Gum Disease
Tooth Decay
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Infection of the heart caused by bacteria in the bloodstream
Alzheimer’s Disease (according to Mayo Clinic, tooth loss before age 35 is associated with Alzheimer’s disease)

Beyond physical health, poor dental health and hygiene may have an effect on self-esteem and employability. We’ve all known people with “bad” teeth – they smile less, seem self-conscious about their teeth and may lack confidence to succeed in life. Point is, problems in the mouth can lead more more than just physical ailments, it could lead to mental, emotional or psychological turmoil.

Are you convinced? Are you willing to visit the dentist at least yearly to ensure the health of your mouth and beyond? If not, what’s stopping you? Feel free to share any experiences in the comments!

Dental Health Pt. 1: Are you Brushing Incorrectly?

by Amber Erickson

We all know that for optimal oral health, we should brush at least twice daily, floss daily and visit the dentist every six months. If you do all this, good for you, you’re probably in the minority (especially the flossing part), but you still might be setting yourself up for tooth problems later in life?

What!?

At my recent cleaning, my dentist mentioned that my gums are receding more than they should be. The problem with receding gums is it leaves the more delicate parts of the tooth exposed to the elements which can lead to sensitivity and other, more serious problems. Braces could be partially to blame, but the biggest culprit is probably my toothbrush and a heavy hand.

My dentist, Gregory Herzberg, at Boulder Dental Center gave me two pieces of advice that rocked my previous dental knowledge:

1. Soft Bristle Toothbrushes are Preferred

Dr. H asked what stiffness my bristles were. I didn’t have a clue – probably medium or so, I responded. I knew they weren’t firm, but I never paid much attention. Come to find out, most people should be using soft bristle brushes.

2. Brushing is a Gentle Activity

I think I’ve always approached brushing my teeth like cleaning – you have to really scrub to get everything. Wrong. Dr. H (I hope he doesn’t mind me calling him that) instructed me to work on a light touch and gentle circles with the brush at a 45 degree angle so the bristles can gently get in, under and around the gums. No more heavy-handed scrubbing I guess!

Put this all together and what teeth and gums really need is some tender care, rather than aggressive scrubbing. Who knew?!

Stay tuned for Pt. 2: Why Does Dental Health Matter Anyway?