Archive for the ‘Gums Health’ Category
Your Mouth is Talking. Are You Listening?
Sunday, August 15th, 2010The Missouri Dental Association (MDA) has started a new public education campaign with the theme “YOUR MOUTH IS TALKING. ARE YOU LISTENING?” Many Missourians know what to do about good dental health, but they aren’t necessarily doing it.
- 80% of Missouri adults know they should have two checkups per year.
- 58% are doing it.
- Only 52% know that gum disease is linked to heart disease.
- Only 50% know that oral health is important in diabetes management.
- Only 44% know that dental problems can cause pre-term births.
- Only 21% know that dental problems can cause low birth weight babies.
The MDA program will include these and many other issues in messages to better inform Missourians about good dental health. Watch for information in local television, radio, print, and online. We also, through our membership in the Missouri Dental Association, have pamphlets, posters, and videos available for our patients.
We at St. Louis Hills Dental Group are happy to talk to anyone about questions or concerns on dental issues. As you read this you are already on our website – stlouishillsdental.com. Information can also be found on the MDA site – www.modental.org. Please call 314-644-0440 if you need further help.
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Healthy Gums
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Clearly, increased efforts to keep your mouth and gums healthy may reap healthy benefits far beyond just keeping your teeth.
Fortunately, keeping your gums and teeth healthy requires relatively low-tech means: Daily brushing and flossing plus regular trips to your dentist for cleanings and checkups. Now we know that maintaining good oral hygiene could help prevent more serious conditions. This should be a great incentive for both young and old
Oral Disease and Osteoporosis
A recent University of Buffalo study linked osteoporosis and periodontal (gum) disease. The study stated that it was particularly evident in women 70 and older; however 25% are men. What happens? With osteoporosis either too much bone is resorbed or too little bone is formed. About 10% of the body’s bone is removed and then replaced each year. Gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults. It destroys both gum tissue and the bone that supports the teeth. Researchers are studying how bone loss around those teeth is related to body-wide bone loss. What we know about osteoporosis is that it is a systemic disease. We know that bone loss in the oral cavity produces more cytokines that may impact bone quality throughout the body. People with osteoporosis are known to have elevated levels of IL-1 and IL-6 cytokines.
Ventilators, an infectious pathway
When hospitalized patients are connected to a ventilator, their risk of pneumonia can increase 20 times. This is a leading killer among hospital acquired infections. Oral bacteria in dental plaque can travel down the ventilator tube and into the lungs and begin to grow. Healthier gums and teeth will reduce this risk.
For more information leave us a message on this website or call St. Louis Hills Dental Group at 314-644-0440.
Tags: Gum Disease, Healthy Gum, Osteoporosis
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Efforts to keep your mouth and gums healthy
Saturday, August 7th, 2010Pregnancy complications are linked to unhealthy gums:
Dr. Steven Offenbacher, director for Oral and Systemic Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says,
“When oral bacteria in the mother’s blood reaches the placenta and then reaches the fetus, it triggers an immune and inflammatory response, stressing the unborn child. Infections may account for up to 50 percent of premature births.”
In the United States one in 10 babies are born too early, nearly double the rate in other industrialized countries. There are many risk factors, which include race, smoking, alcohol and drug use, etc., and more than 255 of complicated pregnancies occur for no know reason. However, it is known that the chemicals and hormones that mediate the inflammatory response can also dilate the cervix and trigger uterine contractions.
Heart health and inflammation:
Researchers believe that there is a link between heart disease and gum disease due to bacterial pathogens or inflammatory chemicals carried by the blood from the mouth to the heart. One study of 10,000 Americans between ages of 18 and 74 found that people with gum disease were much more likely to by diagnose with heart disease than those without gum disease. Doctors know that the inflammation that causes gum disease is the same that narrows coronary arteries. Everyone should be conscientious about treating gum disease, but it is not yet clear that doing so will protect you from heart disease.
Gum disease, obesity, and diabetes are linked:
Two decades of biomedical research has shown that the three are linked. It is believed that obesity intensifies infections, including gum disease. Fat cells release elevated levels of cytokines into the bloodstream. It is now known that elevated levels of cytokines accelerate gum disease. Once a diabetic patient has gum disease, their sugar control worsens and they suffer further complications, including nerve damage and kidney disease.
At St. Louis Hills Dental Group, if we can help with further information on these or other topics please call us at 314-644-0440 or leave us a message on this website.
Tags: Healthy Gums, obesity and diabetes, Pregnancy
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