Toward a longer, healthier life!

A key to a longer, healthier life is to prevent the pre-mature onset of the major threats to a healthy happy life: heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and lung diseases, to name a few. We are now learning that in addition to good nutrition and exercise, keeping your mouth healthy is a vital factor in the equation.

The Oral-systemic Connection

The mouth is the gateway to the body. We rely on it for daily nutrition and life support, communication, and even expressing our love. Veterinarians will look first into the horse's mouth to assess the overall health of the animal, and over 80 years ago D. Charles Mayo, founder of the famed Mayo Clinic, noted that people who keep their teeth live an average of ten yeas longer than those who lose them. We all know that a tooth infection, or abscess, can affect other parts of the body, and those with heart conditions, or who are about to have heart surgery are treated first with antibiotics before any dentistry is done so that the bacteria from the mouth does not travel through the blood stream to damage the heart. Because of the fact that the bloodstream is a two-way street, the new factor emerging as most significant to total health is-

Gum Disease:

Because it is part of the digestive system and the gateway to the body, the mouth is filled with over 500 different microorganisms, more than any other part of the body except for the intestine. The majority of these are useful, but some, especially the anaerobic bacteria that avoid air and live n deep crevices, can cause harm if allowed to penetrate the gums and enter the bloodstream. Therefore that little bit of bleeding that accompanies brushing your teeth, and bad breath in the morning can be a sign that you are under attack by harmful bacteria.

To effectively deal with the oral-systemic connection today, modern treatment protocols must go beyond the "regular cleaning" mindset and standards we have been so accustomed to. Thankfully, new science and technology is paving the way for better co-management of problematic medical conditions and of gum disease itself.

 As a Center for Dental Medicine we practice an aggressive state-of-the-art approach toward treating chronic oral inflammatory diseases known to increase risk factors for heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes:

• thorough evaluation and medical history review
• in-house draw or referral for appropriate blood work (CRP, HbA1c and DNA for genetic susceptibility)
• medical referral to physician as indicated for medical management
• patient education, oral hygiene instructions, and behavior modification
• nutritional counseling and supplementation support
• tobacco counseling as needed
• conventional scaling and root planning
• laser bacterial decontamination and laser-assisted periodontal therapy
• removal of bacterial dental plaque and endotoxins impregnating the dental root surface and other surface contaminants at the sub-gingival level
• sub-gingival irrigation with anti-microbial agents
• correction of contributing dental problems
• on-going communication with patient's physicians regarding progress of treatments