With new dentists coming to town and dental receptionists always very diligent about contacting patients to make sure that they attend their teeth cleaning appointments, it raises the question: how important is dental health?
The answer is that it's more important than most people think.
The main purpose of dental hygiene is to prevent the build-up of plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that forms on the teeth. Poor oral hygiene allows the accumulation of acid-producing bacteria on the surface of the teeth, which demineralizes the tooth enamel, causing tooth decay in the form of cavities. Dental plaque can also invade and infect the gums causing gum disease and periodontitis, and in both conditions, the final effect of poor oral hygiene is the loss of teeth. Many health problems of the mouth, such as oral thrush, trench mouth, bad breath and others are considered an effect of poor dental hygiene. Most of these dental and mouth problems may be avoided just by maintaining good oral hygiene.
Other than the more obvious problems of gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath, new findings show that poor dental health (such as gum disease) is strongly linked to numerous disorders including heart attack, stroke, diabetes and systemic inflammation. Recent research produced evidence that people with gum disease are more likely to suffer a heart attack than those with healthy gums, because oral bacteria and related gum inflammation can cause arterial inflammation, as well as increase plaque build-up and encourage dangerous clotting. Some cardiovascular risk factors, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen levels, seem to correlate with the amount of gum disease present, suggests data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected from over 10,000 people.
Also, dental medicine researchers at the State University of New York have found that severe periodontal disease often accompanies severe diabetes mellitus. They also demonstrated that treating gum infection with antibiotics resulted in better blood-sugar control. They recommended that controlling severe gum infection is "essential for achieving long-term control of diabetes mellitus."
The 80th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research showed that women with moderate to severe periodontal disease during pregnancy are at increased risk of having pre-term babies and babies with low birth weight. The investigators, at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, believe the connection may stem from oral disease triggering increased levels of biological fluids that induce labor.
It's also suspected that periodontal disease may cause respiratory disease, particularly lung infections such as pneumonia, or exacerbate existing respiratory conditions (i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD). That's because oral bacteria can be breathed into lungs, particularly in people with periodontal disease.
Dental care and regular check-ups are especially important for children; just as important as regular immunization and pediatrician check-ups. Not only will a child learn the importance and procedures for caring for their teeth early in life, it's more likely they will continue to care for their teeth throughout their life, preventing oral, dental and general health problems.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), daily dental cleaning should start as soon as your infant's first tooth appears. Wipe the teeth with a piece of gauze or a damp cloth. Switch to a toothbrush with a fluoride toothpaste as your child gets older. Fluoride is a natural chemical that can be added to drinking water and toothpaste. It strengthens tooth enamel and helps repair early damage to teeth. Because children tend to swallow toothpaste, put only a small amount of fluoride toothpaste on your child's toothbrush and press the toothpaste into the bristles. Taking in too much fluoride while brushing can result in fluorosis (spotting of teeth). Also, check the teeth for early signs of tooth decay. Cavities appear as white, yellow or brown spots or lines on the teeth. Any two teeth that are touching each other should be flossed to prevent a cavity from forming between the teeth. An ideal baby bite should have spaces between the front teeth. If your child's teeth are touching early, this is a sign that dental crowding may occur in the adult teeth that may require future orthodontic care.
The AAP recommends that all infants receive oral health risk assessments by six months of age. Infants at higher risk of early dental caries should be referred to a dentist as early as six months of age and no later than six months after the first tooth erupts or 12 months of age. Another thing to keep in mind is that because cavity-causing bacteria can easily be transferred when sharing foods or drink, it is important for parents to care for their teeth too.
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