The mouth is a petri dish!

I recently read an article regarding acidity and its relationship to cancer and other health conditions on a website called Complete health and happiness. I find it fascinating that the same causative factors in the diseases discussed in this article are involved in tooth decay and periodontal disease. The mouth is basically a petri dish. There are normal healthy bacterial flora that are necessary to protect the teeth and begin the digestive process. But the oral environment is ideal for colonization and multiplication. It’s dark, wet and warm. The foods we eat are ideal as fuel for these bacteria.  The bacteria metabolizes or eats this food and creates an acidic environment which breaks down the teeth and bone supporting the teeth. The more “refined” and “processed” the foods we eat the more acidity is produced and the longer it takes for the body to neutralize these acids. The result orally are cavities and gum disease. Both of these conditions are mainly painless early on. There are no symptoms until the conditions are severe. This is part of what makes oral disease so dangerous. Don’t assume because you don’t have pain you don’t have problems. Once enamel and bone are gone they are not coming back. Without treatment these conditions will eventually result in tooth loss and infection. Regular professional cleaning by a dental hygienist reaches all of those areas that you can’t with your brushing, flossing and rinsing routine. One of our primary functions is to mechanically remove this overgrowth of bacteria and promote a healthy oral environment. This is called scaling or debridement also known as cleaning. We complete an assessment of each client we see to design a roadmap of care. This provides us with the information we need to provide a thorough cleaning and get you on the road to health. We can also make dietary suggestions, habit modifications and help select products that are designed to prevent this process. Give us a call let us help improve your health!