CONNECTIONS to HEALTH

Could your mouth hold the clues to your health? The link between dental health and your general health is probably stronger than you think. We all know of the benefits of visiting the dentist and oral hygienist on a regular basis, but do we? Our dental health responds to the same stressors the rest of the body responds to e.g. overwork, accidents, operations, pregnancy, malnutrition etc. However the general hygiene and health of the mouth can have a dramatic affect on the general health and become its own stressor on the body. How? Simply, the mouth requires good hygiene and like the rest of your systems it also requires good nutrition and exercise. Looking at the general diet of the 21st century the average diet contains far too much sugar in the form of sucrose. Sugar changes the internal environment of the mouth from a slightly alkaline one to a slightly acidic one. This slightly acidic environment encourages tooth decay by encouraging the growth of particular bacteria, Streptococcus mutans that attach themselves to the plaque on the tooth surface. This bacterium causes an acid to be released that eats away the tooth enamel. The change in the acid/alkaline balance is not limited to the mouth it becomes a whole body experience, which research has shown can contribute to a whole range of degenerative conditions including, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes mellitus. Root canals. Root canal therapy is usually suggested when the root of a tooth becomes infected, in incisors there is just one root but in the molars there three or four. The treatment involves cleaning the canal that runs up the middle of the tooth, irrigated with medication, dried and sedated. Once the infection is under control the tooth is reopened, recleaned and the canal is filled. This is fine in most cases, but not all work, why? It is believed that bacteria can remain in the teeth even after they have been root-filled. Most of the time this doesn't pose much of a problem but if the person suffers a severe accident, flu, shock or stress ,which overtaxes the body, then the infection has the opportunity to flare up again and via the bloodstream can be carried to another gland or tissue and therein start another infection. If you have any doubts about the health of your teeth go to the dentist and discuss it with them. Prevention is better than the dentist's chair! How can you look after your teeth and dental hygiene better? Obviously brush and floss regularly and use a mouthwash. Eat a whole food diet, with plenty of antioxidant containing foods. Take an all round multivitamin/mineral supplement, ideally in an ionic liquid. Drink the recommended 6-8 8oz glasses of filtered water per day. Toothpastes and mouthwashes. Toothpastes and mouthwashes are not as simple as they seem. Firstly, most contain fluoride in a form that is not compatible with the body. The fluoride used in both our water supply and toothpastes are industrial waste products from the manufacture of phosphate fertilisers and the aluminium industry and are know to be very toxic to the body. Fluoride compounds are listed among the top 20 of 270 substances that pose a threat to human health in the list compiled by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. In Australia the National Pollutant Inventory ranked fluorides as 27 and 28 out of 208. Fluoride compounds are cumulative, systemic toxins. It is because if this that our waters are monitored for maximum contaminant levels. There are numerous studies showing that the rate of dental decay has decreased with the use of fluoride in the water and fluoride tablets, but there are also numerous studies showing that fluoride has done nothing to halt the rate of dental decay, but good dental hygiene and nutrition have. It has been observed that those who use or ingest fluoride can have degenerative changes in muscle and bone tissue. This in turn can lead to tooth loss. Secondly most toothpaste contains sodium laurel or lauryl sulphate (SLS) as a foaming agent. It is known that SLS can cause eczema, eye and skin irritation. It can also cause soreness and even ulceration of the tissues in the mouth. Thirdly mouth washes can contain a high percentage of alcohol which can get into the body and cause damage to the organs. What's the alternative? Look out for dental products that do not contain SLS, fluoride or alcohol. They are in the health shops and we have some here at the Ishta Centre. The Radiance Range, available from the Ishta centre, contain a compound know as sodium chlorite, which is known to be very safe, non-toxic, disinfects, cleans and purifies. When using the Radiance Range of dental products, it is important not rinse the mouth out with water but with the mouthwash and not to eat or drink for 10 minutes afterwards, this ensures that the infection causing bacteria (anaerobes) are killed off. Flossing This removes the rubbish from between the teeth. Be careful again it is difficult to find floss that isn't impregnated with fluoride. Diet Our mouth requires good nutrition like the rest of us. Being the point of entry for our food, if our diets contain a lot of refined foods i.e. white bread, pasta, white rice, sugar then there is an immediate change in the acid/alkaline balance in the mouth, which as I have already stated encourages the growth of the infection causing bacteria. Consuming a diet rich in fresh, whole food, plenty of fruit and vegetables, provides the nutrition and exercise for the mouth and jaw and helps to maintain a slightly alkaline environment. Water A dry mouth smells the worst. The most common reason for smelly breath is dehydration. There are some medical conditions and medication that lead to drying of the mouth, but for most it's simply not drinking enough. Saliva is water based, a dry mouth is the last outward sign of dehydration. Before you start drinking your 8 glasses of water a day from the tap invest in a water filter, it will remove a lot of the chemicals and it will taste a lot nicer. The best times to drink water are 1 glass 30 minutes before taking food and 1 glass 2.5 hours after food. It can be warmed and in the winter substitute your tea and coffee with hot water. Nutritional support If you would like to support your dental programme with supplementation, the best way to ensure that you are going to absorb the nutrients is to take an ionic liquid multi-vitamin and mineral supplement. We sell a good one at the Ishta centre. A lot of the above was a summary of the book Toxic bite an investigation into truth decay. By Bill Kellner-Read.  Buy from Amazon

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