The dental world is an interesting place but it’s also an important one since your oral cavity is the gateway to your body, and what you place in it directly impacts your health and well-being. Whether it’s from food, dental materials, cosmetics, or microorganisms introduced by family members, pets, or even by biting your nails, your body will be exposed to both good and bad microbes that will affect your oral ecosystem and overall health. We are hearing a lot about the microbiome these days and with good reason. Your body’s wide array of microbes play a significant role in many crucial biological processes from immunity to digestion and absorption of what we eat, to memory and mental health. In fact, we are all made up of more than 100 trillion microbes that must be properly balanced and cared for. As I tell our patients, this microbiome can enhance or detract from your health and there are simple steps we can all take to improve it.
To better see into this fascinating tiny world we have invested in a phase contrast microscope at our office which can help us visualize the diverse organisms that live within our patients’ mouths. Our primary concern is spotting any unhealthy residents that have the potential to enter and travel through the bloodstream, colonize in biofilms, and disrupt normal bodily functions, causing lowgrade chronic infections or more serious illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, depression, immune deficits, and even cancer. We have been led to believe that if we use all sorts of oral care products we can eat anything we wish. The reality is that if we provide a healthy terrain by eating well and getting enough nutrients and avoiding things that harm your microbiome (e.g., sugar, GMOs, toxins, pharmaceutical drugs, and so forth) we don’t need the big company-made mouthwashes, rinses, and toothpastes that are likely to contain yet additional unhealthy chemicals. Cavities caused by sugar and bacteria, and periodontal disease which involves motile (moving) bacteria that cause loss of your tooth’s foundation, are not due to a deficiency in fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, or red dye #4. Some of us consume probiotic and prebiotic supplements, or fermented foods that naturally contain healthy bacteria to promote colonization of “better” bacteria in the lower GI tract. There are now products being made with this same goal specifically for the mouth. We’ve also seen great results for patients who have used an irrigator like a Waterpik which flushes out food debris and disrupts oral microbe biofilms. We are happy to help with these and other useful tips and treatments. ~ Drs. Viglielmo Biological Dentistry, (845) 339-1619, www.drvigs.com
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsJeffrey Scott Viglielmo, DDS, AIAOMT and Maureen Kelly Viglielmo, MS, DDS Categories
All
Archives
October 2019
|