Dental Health News
by Steven Blaustein, D.M.D.
Edgewater Dental Associates
18 Hilliard Avenue, Edgewater
941-9666

Healthy Gums, Healthy Heart

Here’s a statistic to consider: twice as many teeth are lost to gum disease than to tooth decay. The cause is bacterial infection, which begins with the build up of plaque around the gum line. If left untreated, the gum disease that sets in can ultimately lead to the loosening and loss of teeth.

The importance of daily brushing and flossing cannot be emphasized enough. In addition to this basic dental care, certain lifestyle changes--such as quitting smoking or chewing tobacco, and better nutrition and a healthier diet–can often improve dental health.

Research shows that proper oral hygiene may provide health benefits above and beyond what you might expect. In 1998, a study conducted by the University of Michigan indicated that gum disease may be linked to a higher incidence of heart attacks. Therefore, increased dental health could actually lead to a decreased incidence of heart disease.

Best Way to Avoid Bad Breath

Foul-smelling sulfur compounds are the primary cause of bad breath. The tongue is a warm, moist area where decaying food particles can become lodged, and bacteria flourish. To combat this bacteria and reduce the sulfur compounds, vigilant dental hygiene is required. While daily brushing and flossing are crucial, it is equally important that the tongue be kept clean. In fact, a study by the University of Toronto found that tongue cleaning can reduce offensive odor by up to 75%, while tooth brushing alone resulted in a reduction of only 25%.

What is the best way to keep the tongue clean? Daily scraping of the tongue removes the decaying food particles and bacteria that hide in the tongue’s crevices. The most effective way of cleaning the tongue is with a plastic tongue scraper, which you should be able to find in your local drug store.

2/22/00

Have a question for Dr. Blaustein? Call him at 941-9666.

Visit the Edgewater Dental web site at www.edgewaterdental.com.

Do you have a question that you’d like Dr. Blaustein to answer in a future column? Send it to editors@edgewaterbeacon.com.

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