After some great discussions recently with my friend Dr. Brett Kessler at Town Center Dentistry and Orthodontics in Stapleton, Denver CO, I’ve been pondering on the ways in which dentists have a window into the overall health of their patients.
Research tells us that more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases (diseases involving many organs or the whole body) have oral manifestations. This is definitely good reason to pay attention to what the dentist finds in your mouth and look at your nutrition and overall lifestyle to help support your wellness.
Here are some of the signs in the mouth and their connection with disease:
This is the big one! Lots of oral infections and gum disease indicates chronic inflammation in the mouth. Inflammation in the mouth is indicative of inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation can cause a multitude of health concerns. In fact almost every modern disease; autoimmune diseases, heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and dementia, has inflammation at it’s route.
In the case of diabetes, saliva becomes higher in glucose which causes more dental decay and gum disease exacerbated because diabetics have a lower resistance to infection. The best way to beat inflammation and diabetes type 2 is with nutrition and lifestyle change!
Teeth grinding – this indicates high levels of stress. Whilst making lifestyle changes to get rid of some of the stressors should be the first priority (like maybe cutting down on the coffee and getting some exercise) it is also important to support the adrenals nutritionally or you may suffer from adrenal burn out. Some of the things you need for proper adrenal function might be foods you've been trained to avoid. Yes, I said it, dietary cholesterol.
White coating on the tongue – This can be a symptom of candida (a yeast infection) and nutritional changes are necessary to get rid of it. We can help you get off that sugar kick that is feeding it.
Teeth staining – Yes, if we drink too much coffee, tea (guilty!) or red wine or if we smoke we can stain our teeth. Whilst we may want to work on some teeth whitening it is also worth considering whether these habits are really serving our overall health.
Dry mouth – this can be another indicator of inflammation as it can be a symptom of an autoimmune condition.
Oral cancer – we don’t have a “cure” for cancer because we are looking in the wrong place. Instead of focusing on the type of cancer and ways to kill it, we should be looking at what type of environment we provide in our body where cancer could take hold. Here nutrition and lifestyle are key to reducing the toxic load on the body and providing an environment where our genes can express themselves in a healthy way.
So next time you’re in for your 6 monthly teeth cleaning, pay attention and ask questions. If your dental health concerns you then don’t just go for the quick fix and ignore the big picture. Get in touch with us for support and find a dentist that is open to a holistic view of your health.
Research tells us that more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases (diseases involving many organs or the whole body) have oral manifestations. This is definitely good reason to pay attention to what the dentist finds in your mouth and look at your nutrition and overall lifestyle to help support your wellness.
Here are some of the signs in the mouth and their connection with disease:
This is the big one! Lots of oral infections and gum disease indicates chronic inflammation in the mouth. Inflammation in the mouth is indicative of inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation can cause a multitude of health concerns. In fact almost every modern disease; autoimmune diseases, heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and dementia, has inflammation at it’s route.
In the case of diabetes, saliva becomes higher in glucose which causes more dental decay and gum disease exacerbated because diabetics have a lower resistance to infection. The best way to beat inflammation and diabetes type 2 is with nutrition and lifestyle change!
Teeth grinding – this indicates high levels of stress. Whilst making lifestyle changes to get rid of some of the stressors should be the first priority (like maybe cutting down on the coffee and getting some exercise) it is also important to support the adrenals nutritionally or you may suffer from adrenal burn out. Some of the things you need for proper adrenal function might be foods you've been trained to avoid. Yes, I said it, dietary cholesterol.
White coating on the tongue – This can be a symptom of candida (a yeast infection) and nutritional changes are necessary to get rid of it. We can help you get off that sugar kick that is feeding it.
Teeth staining – Yes, if we drink too much coffee, tea (guilty!) or red wine or if we smoke we can stain our teeth. Whilst we may want to work on some teeth whitening it is also worth considering whether these habits are really serving our overall health.
Dry mouth – this can be another indicator of inflammation as it can be a symptom of an autoimmune condition.
Oral cancer – we don’t have a “cure” for cancer because we are looking in the wrong place. Instead of focusing on the type of cancer and ways to kill it, we should be looking at what type of environment we provide in our body where cancer could take hold. Here nutrition and lifestyle are key to reducing the toxic load on the body and providing an environment where our genes can express themselves in a healthy way.
So next time you’re in for your 6 monthly teeth cleaning, pay attention and ask questions. If your dental health concerns you then don’t just go for the quick fix and ignore the big picture. Get in touch with us for support and find a dentist that is open to a holistic view of your health.
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