Five things your dentist isn’t telling you!
A sick mouth makes for a very sick body.
It’s a proven fact that a dirty mouth affects not just your love life but your overall health as well.
ABC News Interviews Dr. Nancy Rosen
ABC News had an interesting video with a dentist’s top 5 industry secrets based on a Readers Digest article that was rather tame in my opinion, they were:
- You cannot mask smoker’s breath, no amount of mints can hide the smell or its oral effects such as stains and white precancerous marks.
- A mother can pass cavity producing bacteria to their child (and by extension, others) by sharing cutlery or kissing.
- You need to brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes and floss for 1-2 minutes – electric toothbrushes are the best
- Whiten your teeth only once every six months, MAX! It can damage your enamel and burn your gums
- Don’t skip cleanings as they are necessary to maintain proper oral health, you can do a great job.
What they left out
I have written this several times, but the biggest dental industry secret is
- YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY TOOTHPASTE NOR MOUTHWASH!
I believe we already ingest way too many chemicals, why add some new ones first thing in the morning? Want to kill ALL the bacteria in your mouth? Put a tablespoon of salt in a warm class with 50ml of water and sprinkle some baking soda in it. Use this to rinse your mouth, then brush it with a good electric toothbrush and repeat till you have no more water. The salt will kill everything, the baking soda, acting as a base, will neutralize all the acid build-up which causes cavities. Cost? Next to nothing.
Why a clean mouth is so vitally important!
Imagine living your life with an open wound on your arm, it would be bleeding, get infected and essentially make your life miserable. This is exactly what you are doing to your body when you don’t take proper care of your oral hygiene! Your gums are a wonderful access point straight into your bloodstream, you don’t have thick skin there, just a nice warm place, loaded with bacteria, that is hard to keep clean… constantly being invaded by germs of all stripes and motives!
Why oral health is especially important when you get older
When we are young, the tissues throughout our body “refresh” themselves at a very fast rate, many children don’t have a chance to get many cavities and their gums are nice and pink because the gums are replenishing new cells continually. The bad news is that as we age, this process slows down, so the older you get, the longer it takes for the body to rejuvenate itself, as such, you become more susceptible to injuries, degradation (bones, muscles, cartilage) and guess what, the same holds true for your teeth and gums. Oral health is important when you are young but increasing so as the years pass you by.
The Bottom Line
You are never too old to recover from neglected oral hygiene.
