You and Your Dentist… Is It A Healthy Relationship?

Episode 18 of Dangers in Dentistry originally aired on KPRZ in San Diego.

Do you know how often — and to what extent — you’re exposed to highly toxic elemental mercury? From fish to your teeth, the threat of mercury in your body is completely real, and relatively preventable… find out how to protect yourself in this week’s episode of Dangers in Dentistry.

Also in this episode, Dr. Marvin and guest expert Jared Young give you the inside knowledge you need on how the practice of dentistry can impact your overall well-being. They discuss the often confusing and sometimes frustrating relationship that exists between you and your dentist. Does your dentist listen to the requests you have about your health? And that doesn’t mean just your oral health, but your entire overall body health? Did you know that too many dentists and doctors may not spend enough time educating themselves on new techniques and new research available before they approach you?

Gain a new perspective on your health and relationship with your dentist in this week’s episode of Dangers in Dentistry, with America’s Holistic Dentist, Dr. Marvin.

Enjoy!
Dr. Marvin
San Diego, Encinitas Holistic and Natural Dentist

Orange Juice — The Silent Tooth Killer?

Orange Juice. It’s been a classic, refreshing breakfast sidekick for generations. It’s loaded with Vitamin C and nothing tastes so good fresh out of the juicer. But what if every sip actually did more harm than good?

According to Dr Yan-Fang Ren, of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, the acid in orange juice “is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away.”

Using a revolutionary vertical scanning microscope for the first time, researchers were able to see the extensive surface detail on teeth, revealing massive erosion of the enamel caused by drinking highly acidic juices, such as orange juice.

But that’s not all. The unnatural acceleration of erosion of the teeth caused by acidic juices can substantially increase your risk of developing tooth decay.

So orange juice — the breakfast staple most of us have enjoyed for years — may not be the “wholesome goodness” our parents told us about. Does this mean you shouldn’t drink it? If you value your dental health, you should definitely think twice before downing that glass of OJ with your scrambled eggs.

Terrible Infection That Originated From Mouth Affects Woman For Over 20 Years

A woman who has visited doctors over 1000 times in the past 20 years is found to have an infection from bugs that are found in the mouth.

Check out this article.

If you were ever wondering how important it is to keep your mouth healthy, read this article on how this woman suffered for years until one doctor determined it to be Actinomycosis.

Near the end of the article,

“The NHS estimates one in every 300,000 people suffers from
actinomycosis. The infection often starts in the mouth or throat and
will only spread if the bacteria has chance to penetrate the body’s
tissues.

It can be caused by gum disease, dental surgery, or,
as doctors think in Mrs Wicks’s case, a small particle of food or fish
bone getting lodged in the throat.”

So if you you think you may have gum disease or if your gums bleed, go see your dentist and get the disease controlled.

Calcium and Vitamin C- Not just good for bones

Most of us have heard by now of the importance of getting enough calcium in our diets to prevent bone loss as we age. But for many men and women getting enough calcium is a direct contradiction to what ever our most recent diet plan describes. The shocking truth is that new research has uncovered calcium as a preventive tool in oral care.

About 99 percent of the calcium in the human body is held in the bones and teeth. Calcium maintains healthy teeth and protects your teeth in an indirect way. Your teeth themselves are relatively inert, meaning that the calcium they contain usually stays there. Your jawbone is the potential problem. Like other bones, it gradually surrenders calcium for needs elsewhere in your body if you’re not consuming enough. As your jaw weakens, your teeth loosen, creating gaps where bacteria can invade, triggering infection, inflammation, and bleeding. In fact, the condition of your teeth and gums can be a window to the overall health of your bones. Not surprisingly, the first signs of osteoporosis are sometimes found by your dentist.

Nutritional recommendations to help keep you smiling include:

Drinking lots of water. Keeping your mouth moist is important in warding off tooth decay and periodontal diseases because it washes away food and neutralizes plaque.

Brushing and flossing after eating sticky foods such as raisins, fruit rolls or candy

Next time you are at your local San Diego dental office, ask how you can help protect those pearly whites

Gum Disease: Don’t Believe It’s Important? Think Again About Gum Disease.

Gum Disease is a topic many people have pondered over… especially if you just came from the dental office.  However, most soon forget about it a few hours later as they tackle other mundane activities.

For most people, they don’t understand it or they are not willing to go the extra effort to prevent red bleeding gums.

But… being a scientist (as all dentists are to some extent), I can now say that it is NOT a good time to forget about this incurable disease we call periodontitis and gingivitis.

I’ll make this clear cut and straight to the point.  Gum diseases are almost always infections.  The cause of gum disease is bacteria.  The result is a body (or host) response that results in bleeding, pain, redness, and other inflammatory reactions.

There are 2 ways to avoid/reverse/stop the progression.  1) Kill the bacteria that cause it or 2) Help the body’s response to it.

The first method may sound simple but for decades, most people think that good oral hygiene can do the trick.  Not so.  Gum disease is getting progressively worse in our population.

One reason for that is NOT awareness as most people that go to the dentist have heard the lecture before. 

You know what I’m talking about.  “You should brush and floss more..” yada yada yada.  Either you don’t get it or you don’t care enough to do something about it.

The seconod reason why you have gum disease is because of the host, aka you.  If you don’t have good defense, the attacker will win.  In this case, the aggressor is bacteria.  This is the holistic part that gets me excited about being a holistic dentist.

Here’s where I go strong on ya so be prepared.

Below I’ve included a great scientific article about gum disease (and more specifically the bacteria found in your gums when you have gum disease) and the systemic (or whole body) ramifications.  Check it out.

Costerton J, Keller D. Oral periopathogens and systemic effects. Gen Dent. 2007 May-June;55(3):210-15.

As a result of hundreds of articles like this one which support the fact that there is a direct link between gum disease and other bodily diseases, we at The Center For Natural Dentistry have developed our own process for fighting illnesses by combating the bacteria under your gums.

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