Contrary to what television commercials and magazine advertisements would have you believe, you don’t need the chemicals in most toothpastes, mouthwashes, and other oral health care products to tackle gingivitis, periodontal gum disease, dry mouth, or bad breath. In reality, many of those advertisements mislead you into believing that simply using mouthwash will combat periodontal infection. In fact, the plant soaps, essential oils, vitamins, and herbs in natural oral health care products are often more effective in the treatment of gingivitis, in periodontal disease prevention, in dry mouth treatment, and in the everyday care of healthy teeth and gums.
Although most people don’t make the connection, your teeth and gums can have a dramatic impact on your health and well-being. Gum problems, tooth decay, and even mercury fillings can have a negative impact on your health.
The Signs of Healthy Gums
When your gums are healthy, they have a nice pink color, and don’t bleed when you brush your teeth. In addition, your gum line tightly hugs your teeth. Unfortunately, however, periodontal disease affects three-quarters of the population. Because it’s often painless, most people are unaware that they have a problem.
Warning Signs of Periodontal Disease
The symptoms of periodontal infection range from bleeding in the gum pockets; red, swollen, or tender gums; an abscess on the gum surface; gums that have pulled away from the teeth; and persistent bad breath.
Bad breath is more than an embarrassment; it’s a warning sign that unhealthy bacteria are growing in your mouth. If you floss your teeth and the floss smells like rotten eggs, you most likely have periodontal disease that is causing the hydrogen sulfide compounds in your mouth to multiply.
Similarly, dry mouth is more than an annoyance; a persistent lack of salivation can actual accelerate tooth decay and gum problems because saliva helps keep the bacteria and fungi in your mouth in check.
How Natural Oral Health Care Products Can Help
Natural oral health care products address the root of the problem, rather than simply the symptoms. For example, dry mouth can occur as a side effect of many medications, or as the result of a medical condition. Many commercial oral care products contain alcohol or sodium lauryl sulfate, which can further irritate and dehydrate your mouth. A refreshing, natural gel, on the other hand, can actually stimulate the salivary glands to produce more saliva, which in turn will help control the bacteria and fungi.
Similarly, there are many products on the market that advertise a solution to bad breath. In fact, most of these products contain alcohol, which over time dries out your gums and makes the problem worse. Natural oral health care products avoid alcohol and instead use a blend of ingredients that discourages the growth of the organisms that cause bad breath.
Good oral health care is a habit worth developing. And, by using natural oral health care products, you can be assured that you are doing all you can to treat the problems you have, or to prevent the development of gingivitis, periodontal gum disease, bad breath, and dry mouth.
Oral health is not just an attractive smile. It is a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral sores, birth defects such as cleft lip and palate. Poor oral health can have significant impact on ones quality of life. Recent studies have shown that there is a relationship between periodontal disease and heart disease and pre-term low-weight babies. Similarly it has been proved that 90% of all systematic diseases have oral manifestations. This means that your dentist would be your first health care provider who can diagnose a health problem.
What are the causes of poor oral health? This is a common question which all of us would like to know. The recent study conducted on oral health in America has shown that a large percentage of population suffers from reduced quality of life due to oral and facial pain. The main cause of this pain is infection of gums supporting teeth. This may also lead to teeth loss. This study also confirms that about 75% of population is affected by some form of periodontal disease or gingivitis.
This oral infection can also affect other organs of the body. For instance: bacterial endocarditis is a condition in which the lining of heart and its valves become inflamed. Besides this, improper oral care can lead to oral cancer or even affect the digestive process which begins with physical and chemical activities in the mouth. These problems can lead to intestinal failure, irritable bowel syndrome and other related problems.
Most of the disease can be diagnosed in their early stages through oral examination. Since most of the times mouth tissues reflect symptoms relating to other problems. Diseases like diabetics, leukemia, kidney problems and cancer can be characterised by swollen gums, mouth ulcers, dry mouth and excessive gum problems.
So, what is the best recourse? Consulting a doctor ever six months is mandatory. This helps in diagnosing diseases in their early stages. It is also important that you keep your dentist updated with your complete medical or dental history even if it is unrelated to your oral health. These regular check ups can help you in maintaining your mouth in perfect condition and also keep an eye on developments that may pin point problem elsewhere in your body.
Dental examinations also help in identifying poor nutrition, hygiene, growth, developmental problems and improper jaw alignment. Recent studies have shown that 90% of dentists take up counselling for patients on home care for oral health that may result due to chemotherapy or head and neck radiation therapies. Dentists also counsel patients on use of tobacco, disadvantages of using tobacco and even provide information on tobacco cessation programs.
Besides dentists and voluntary organisations, World Health Organisation (WHO) is also taking active part by coming up with innovative programs in order to create awareness among people on the importance of oral health. The main objective of WHO is to lay greater emphasis on developing global policies for oral health promotion and oral disease prevention.
Proper care along with regular dental check ups can help you in preserving your natural smile.
Dental professionals have long promoted the idea prevention is the best medicine. The dental community has successful trained us to accept maintenance as part of the overall oral health program. Now, medical professionals are linking oral health to overall health. And, prevention and maintenance are key.
The most serious dental health problem is an infection. This can be due to an infected gum or an abscessed tooth. Aloe vera strengthens the body´s immune system, thus helping in ridding the body from oral infections. Oral health is improved and when used in conjunction with good oral hygiene the mouth remains healthy despite all that is taken into it.
Organizations such as Oral Health America develop, implement, and facilitate educational and service programs designed to raise awareness of the importance of oral health. Nationwide activities and campaigns coordinate schools, governments, care providers, and corporate and community partners in the fight against tooth decay and oral disease prevention. Many state dental health programs are involved in epidemiologic surveys, applied research projects and community needs assessments.
Eat wisely. Avoiding sugars and starches when snacking applies to adults as well as children. Minimize snacking and have a five-a-day helping of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables Avoid tobacco. In addition to general health risks, smokers have 7 times the risk of developing gum disease compared to non-smokers.
In order to keep a good dental hygiene you must follow all of the basic steps that are recommended by probably every single dentist that you have come across. Every time you set up an appointment, you always hear them ask you how many times you brush your teeth a day.
Yep, it is a surprise, but studies have shown that by taking vitamin B6 you can reduce your cavities and fillings. Vitamin B6 decreases the growth of cavity-causing bacteria and increases growth of beneficial mouth bacteria. For the best results, I advised you suck a vitamin B6 lozenge rather than take a supplement… with vitamin B6 it is more of a topical effect.
Oral health care is indeed essential and any sort of negligence can be detrimental. Regular oral health check up safeguards against any sort of unwanted oral disease, actually studies have revealed that each year about 400,000 people across the glove get suffer from oral cancer.
Most people are less likely to have dental coverage due to unaffordable premiums resulting in health care crisis. Uninsured patients are likely to visit hospital emergency rooms twice as those with insurance. People along with their children should be eligible for routine and emergency dental care and health care at a very low cost, since many families are unable to afford health care and good dental treatment.
Antifungal medicines are common treatment for oral yeast infection. Your doctor may recommend antifungal drugs in tablet or liquid form that will best suit your situation. Some antifungal drugs have side effects causing other health issues like liver damage and it is important to take antifungal medicines under the supervision and advice of your doctor.
People with healthy mouths may have another reason to smile: Their pearly whites could be linked to healthy hearts.
The American Academy of Periodontology states that bacteria from your mouth not only cause bad breath but could also contribute to the development of heart disease, which is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.
More than 75 percent of adults in the U.S. have gingivitis and periodontitis and could potentially reduce their risk of heart disease by simply improving their oral health on a daily basis.
It is recommended that you floss daily. Some scientists believe periodontal bacteria enter the bloodstream, travel to major organs and begin new infections that may contribute to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This risk heightens as the severity of the oral infection increases.
It is important to note that there is not yet enough evidence to establish oral infection as an independent risk for heart disease or stroke, but controlling periodontal disease might still help keep you healthy. Patients can work to reduce their risk of the disease with regular dental care and by making sure to incorporate flossing into their daily oral care routine.
One amazing flossing product is REACH® CleanPaste™ Floss, which is infused with a revolutionary CleanPaste™ formula to provide a whole-mouth clean. It comes in an original and a “Tight Teeth” option. The American Academy of Periodontology notes that daily flossing keeps the formation of plaque to a minimum and that if it is continually neglected, and not removed every 26 hours, plaque can turn into calculus, which can lead to periodontal disease. The TSPP-also known as Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate-in REACH® CleanPaste™ Tartar Control floss is clinically proven to reduce plaque buildup. This daily cleansing helps keep the plaque biofilm under control and reduces tartar formation, according to the American Dental Association.
If you are prone to producing extra plaque, try REACH® CleanPaste™ Tartar Control. REACH® CleanPaste™ Tartar Control is the first and only tartar control product that helps prevent plaque buildup between teeth and around the gum area with TSPP. If you’re on the go, you can use the REACH® ACCESS® Flosser, which is a brush-style handle that makes flossing as easy as brushing. It is available in original as well as CleanPaste™ formulas.
Used properly, these products can help you reach the two out of five tooth surfaces that are missed with an ordinary toothbrush.
The best advice is to start young and make flossing a part of your daily regimen. If you have kids, you may want to get them into healthy oral hygiene habits early by getting them a floss that is fun. REACH® WILD FLOSSERS® are great for making flossing enjoyable, with their dinosaur heads and floss in the mouths.
Of course, flossing is only part of the healthy tooth equation, along with regular dental checkups. It’s important to spend at least two minutes brushing your teeth twice a day-especially before bed.
