There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.
~ Desmond Tutu
Optimal health cannot be achieved if we ignore the state of our mouth.
Because my husband had to have a tooth extracted this week, I found myself down the rabbit hole of oral health research.
Poor oral health is an underlying cause of many chronic conditions including heart and Alzheimer’s disease.
Gum (or periodontal) disease, associated with unhealthy plaque (now called "biofilm") on the teeth, is one of the leading threats to dental and systemic health.
Almost half of all adults aged 30 years and older have some form of gum disease with over 70% of adults 65 years and older having it.
Implications of the war on all germs in the mouth
It is not the germs we need worry about. It is our inner terrain.
~ Louis Pasteur
Oral health practitioners do prescribe antibiotics after invasive dental work because they know that through breached barriers in the mouth, we can infect a vulnerable body.
For example, Porphyromonas gingivalis bacteria can increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier and promote Alzheimer's disease.
Silos in healthcare create a disconnect in treatment. Medical and dental school curriculums must change to optimally treat the whole person.
Dentists have been taught that bacteria-made plaque or biofilm is harmful and needs to be removed. The biofilm is created as the tooth erupts in a child. The right environment and inputs will create healthy biofilm which can do many things including re-mineralize de-mineralized spots on teeth.
New research concludes that a healthy ecology of microorganisms in the biofilm nourishes the teeth.
Disrupting the biofilm, if excessively thick or dysbiotic (unbalanced), may be necessary but excessive scraping can increase sensitivity to cold, certain foods, and the touch of a toothbrush. It will also impair remineralization.
Regularly using mouthwash causes a reduction in the diversity of bacteria in the mouth, creating a more acidic environment. Acidity causes tooth decay.
The right amount and diversity of oral bacteria help keep bad bugs in check and create by-products such as nitric oxide that help support cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and healthy inflammatory and immune responses.
Concluding thoughts
Weeds don’t grow when the garden is well-tended.
~ David Perlmutter and Mark Burhenne
To prevent tooth decay and other health conditions, we must create and maintain a healthy ecology in the mouth.
Doctors David Perlmutter MD and Mark Burhenne DDS deserve credit for quotes and some of the content I have chosen to include here. To learn more, and to get an emerging perspective, consider watching their linked interview.
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