Your Dental Health
What you need to know
Good dental health is a barometer of good general health and vice versa. It is not possible to have one without the other.
All cells of the body are linked together.
Many people never experience optimum oral health as there are many stress factors that contribute to disease in the mouth and go unnoticed because they do not cause any direct pain or symptoms.
Areas of Dental Stress
Bacterial
There are estimated around 700 different species and possibly up to 6 billion to be found at any one time in the oral cavity.
They can cause a variety of different problems from decay to gum disease, to chronic infection in gum pockets known as nicos or cavitation’s. Poorly healed extraction sites as well as toxic loading when active in root canal teeth.
Mechanical
When the jaws are misaligned due to abnormal growth or also by having teeth removed or dental treatment not having the right bite, clenching or grinding may occur, causing stress on the teeth, jaw joints or supporting tissues and muscles.
Vicious incorrect brushing can damage the teeth and gums.
Chemical
Constant use of mouth rinse may discolour teeth as well as effect the balance of the oral bacteria colony.
Acidic drinks may cause erosion as well as stomach acid reflux.
Some side effects of drug therapy can cause issues to the oral tissues.
Metallic
Many different materials used in the mouth contain metals, the classic is the silver mercury or amalgams fillings. Mercury is a potent neuro toxin that comes out of the fillings and is deposited in the body.
Other materials such as Tin, Nickle, Gold, Titanium etc can also cause reactions in some people.
Unfortunately, dentists have to use materials and only those that are most compatible to the oral tissues should be used when available or allowed.
It is now possible to be almost 100% metal free in dental care.
Electrical
Different metals in a wet environment will have a ……effect producing an electrical current between them. Having a mini battery in the mouth potentially will have a negative effect on health.
Trauma
All incidents do happen and can cause tooth related problems, broken cusps, fractured teeth, lost teeth, as in sports injuries etc.
Cosmetic
Not being happy with one’s teeth can lead to psychological stress.
Stress in General
There are many different tissues and different kinds of stress potentially in the mouth. It is recognised that stress can cause other problems and disease in different areas of the body.
For many years periodontal disease has been linked to heart problems and now to diabetes and some auto immune disease.