I thought I'd open this newsletter with a little surprise I just came across...
(DENTISTRY TODAY / March 1997)
"A number of studies have linked periodontal disease and poor oral health to coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading cause of death in the United States. An article in The Oral Care Report states, "With a third of all adults suffering from periodontal disease, such a relationship could have serious implications for millions of people. The article goes on to state that the number of teeth is also a factor in the relationship between CHD and periodontal disease. One study of male healthcare professionals, 58% of whom were dentists, found that men with periodontal disease and less than 10 teeth had an increased risk of CHD when compared to subjects with 25 or more teeth. There was no relationship to CHD found in the subjects with no periodontal disease.
"Researchers link endotoxin produced by gram negative bacteria associated with periodontal disease with CHD. One research team offers the hypothesis that the "underlying inflammatory response trait" may place an individual at risk for developing both periodontal disease and atherosclerosis.
"Another researcher states that, "Dental disease is associated with an increased risk of CHD, particularly in young men." His study showed that men 50 years of age and younger had double the risk of CHD when compared to men older than 50. Positive relationships with CHD have been shown for caries, periapical lesions, pericoronitis, edentia, and baseline alveolar bone loss, the article states. The challenge for researchers is find the causal pathway."
- from DENTISTRY TODAY March, 1997
The article above states that 1/3 of Americans have periodontal disease. Dr.
Nara writes that 98% of Americans suffer from it. Do you have it? A simple
question will answer that... Have you ever had a cavity? Cavities are
really the first stage of the disease. Maybe you haven't had a cavity in
years... The germs that are doing all the dirty work have moved under the
gum line and doing it there now. That's how the disease progresses.
Well, we got through the Easter tradition yesterday. The deal I had with my 7 -year-old daughter was this: You can eat SOME candy, but you brush thoroughly immediately afterwards. Not 20 minutes or an hour, but immediately. Even 15 minutes later is too late. Her second cousin, of the same age, has a whopping 18 cavities already. Her cousin's mother had a FULL SET of dentures at 29! I know this is extreme, but I do use it as an example to her.
You may be asking, "Why are you letting her have candy at all?"
In the book; MONEY BY THE MOUTHFUL, Dr. Nara gives a breakdown of foods most
harmful to the teeth and gums. You would think that candies would be on top
of the list... The culprit? WHITE BREAD. (Read the book to find out why.)
So, why does the dentist tell us to avoid sweets? Because sugar is what
bacteria feed on. However, these little buggers also convert certain foods
into sugar. There is virtally no way you CAN avoid 'sweets'. So, the
logical answer is to keep your mouth clean as much as possible, no matter
what you are putting in there.
I want to wrap-up this newsletter with an open letter to dentists written nearly twenty years ago...
Dear Doctor:First if you will allow me a little background. When I began to perform dental treatment in the fall of 1957, I quickly came to the realization that it was necessary to establish a healthful oral ecology before attempting to restore or replace missing teeth. It is only common sense that to fix teeth before establishing a clean healthy mouth with good gum tissue is like 'pounding sand into a rat hole.'
It is a waste of the patient's time and money to treat the results of a disease process without first straightening around the factors causing the disease. Even worse is the fact that to begin clinical repair of dental disease without insisting on proper oral hygiene makes the dentist partially responsible for keeping the patient in a neglectful frame of mind.
If the dentist does not insist on proper oral hygiene before restoring or replacing he becomes partially responsible for that patient's future dental disease and probable loss of his or her teeth. To do so is unthinkable for the socially responsible dentist.
One must recognize that to accomplish a level whereby people are really cleaning their mouths thoroughly is a very, very difficult task. After years of trial and error, making a multitude of mistakes, we finally hit upon a concept that works. This concept combines a proper psychological approach with existing clinical procedures for treating the cause of the disease along with repairing the results of the disease.
This unique combination of a new psychological delivery system along with existing clinical procedures with a few new twists is called Oramedics. In 20 years Oramedics is the first successful method that we have found that causes people to beat a path to our door.
-snip-
Yours for better dental health,
/s/ Robert O. Nara, D.D.S.
Please keep sending feedback on the info at the site, experiences you've had, etc.
If you have friends you would like to have receive this newsletter, please forward the addresses to me at: OraMedia@juno.com
Thank you, and have a good week. "Brush after meals, and see your dentist every 6 months." ; )~
(Now add 'cardiologist' to the list...)
Tom Cornwell
Director / Editor
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