Some Thoughts on Healthy Dental Care - Part 1

Every day, all day long, our mouths are under attack by millions of bacteria. Certainly not all of these bacteria are harmful, and there are some that we need for proper digestion and protection. Most typical oral care products do little if anything to get rid of the harmful bacteria which is the root (no pun intended) cause of all tooth decay. And if they do address this issue it is usually with a chemical called triclosan. This compound kills bacteria quickly which sounds like a good thing. However there are three problems with triclosan.

• One: it kills most bacteria, even the good bacteria which we need.
• Two: It can irritate the gums, causing redness and in some cases, soreness.
• Three: it has come under question because it can lead to bacteria resistance and produces some dangerous side products in the body such as chloroform gas and dioxin compounds.

From Wikipedia: "Although small amounts of dioxins are produced, there is a great deal of concern over this effect, because some dioxins are extremely toxic and are very potent endocrine disruptors. They are also chemically very stable, so that they are eliminated from the body very slowly (they can bio-accumulate to dangerous levels), and they persist in the environment for a very long time." The research is ongoing and the American Dental Association has issued a response to at least one of the studies stating that it was not relevant to toothpaste. Still, products made in the USA must list triclosan on the label if it is present. This leads me to think that there may be some concern.

What alternatives do we have? This is a very good question. There have been many studies that have shown that the health of your mouth could directly affect the rest of your body. There is a very strong relationship between periodontal disease and heart disease. Improving our oral hygiene habits can help, but the most important thing to do is attack the source of the problem - bacteria.

Some of the bacteria in our mouth produce plaque, which leads to tartar, followed by cavities and periodontal disease. Anyone who has visited a dentist has heard these terms, but may not be aware that bacteria are the cause of all of these. One in particular, S. mutans, ferments the sugary foods we eat and turns it into lactic acid. This acid can actually dissolve the enamel covering your teeth; in much the same way that acid rain corrodes metal. Worse still, S. mutans turns sucrose into plaque which sticks to the tooth enamel trapping the lactic acid against the tooth. If not removed, the plaque will harden into tartar. This is not only ugly to look at, but is a warning that your tooth enamel is under attack! If left alone, the tartar will spread below the gum line, causing periodontal disease. This also leaves the root and bone structure holding our teeth open to bacteria and toxins that can break down the bone and get into our blood stream.

In the next post, I will tell you my routine which contains some of the alternatives I asked about above.