Obesity, Disease and your Teeth
Most people (myself included) would rather light their faces on fire than visit the dentist. 
Although I floss regularly now, I never gave much thought to strict oral hygiene. I was always under the impression that if I burned to death (perhaps by lighting my face on fire), my teeth would survive. Logically, if my chicklets could endure a blazing inferno, why is my hygienist hounding my about daily flossing?
As it turns out, periodontal health is not only important for your teeth and gums, but it can also impact overall health, including obesity.
Researchers analyzed data from almost 37,000 men who were free of reported periodontal disease at the start of follow-up, and we followed them for up to 16 years (1986-2002).
The study, which controlled for age, smoking, race, dental profession, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and diabetes status - showed a 29% increased risk of periodontal disease in those with BMI's over 30, compared to normal weight individuals.
Oral Health and Systemic Health - Time to pay attention
While this analysis showed that obesity precedes periodontal disease, the evidence has been mounting for years now oral health has a substantial relationship to overall health. Much of this has to do with a reoccurring theme in health and disease: Inflammation.
Gum disease can trigger inflammation, raising the levels of C-reactive protein - a marker for inflammation and a proposed harbinger for chronic diseases like heart disease.
Many people in the dental research community believe that good oral health can actually save lives - although it would be difficult to isolate periodontal disease as an independent risk factor with so many confounders.
There is also a reason for pregnant women to keep diligent with their dental health, as there is a strong association between periodontal disease and infant pre-maturity, diabetes and stroke.
What to do?
Eat well, exercise regularly and hard enough, relax and floss!
Source: Eureka Alerts: Is There a Prospective Association between Obesity and Periodontal Disease?", by M. Jimenez et al., of the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Puerto Rico.
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Great article! I heard this a couple years ago and made a habit out of flossing daily as I will do pretty much anything to avoid the dentist and the nightmare of his drills!
ReplyDon't eat too much candies/chocolate, wash your teeth in the mornings and before going to bed - everything will be fine :)
Don't mind dentists, but I would rather watch what I'm eating.
ReplyI have heard for years about this link between dental health & other diseases including cancer. I do everything I am supposed to do & still have teeth probs unfortunately. Now, can they make dentists affordable & provide insurance that actually does something for you! I would be at the dentist every 3 months if I had the money! I think that the larger problem with people not going... no money & no help. Same problem as regular heath insurance... unaffordable!
ReplyIsn't that the truth! It's no wonder my dentist drives a Jaguar! I almost have to take out a second loan on my house for a checkup!
ReplyLuckily for me and my husband, we have dental insurance that covers cleanings for free, so we go every six months like clockwork. I myself don't have periodontal disease and I brush my teeth every day. I don't floss as often as I should, though. I probably only manage to do it once a week and it's not like I don't have time to do it; it's just that I HATE doing it, LOL. My husband already has the beginnings of periodontal disease and he's only 28...it worries me because he has horrible oral hygiene and doesn't always brush and floss. He seems to believe that Listerine is enough. He gargles with it every day and claims it kills the germs so he doesn't need to brush and floss. I have told him repeatedly that this is not the case, but he's kind of a knob about it.
One thing that does seem to help keep my teeth nice is to eat a lot of naturally crunchy/abrasive foods like carrots, broccoli, apples, etc. I have a theory that these kinds of foods are like nature's toothbrush: they are what would keep your teeth clean in the wild if you didn't have a toothbrush handy all the time.
ReplyJust throwing this out there...
I have a receded (damaged) gum on two of my teeth. Touching it with my nail used to cause immediate and strong pain. Since switching to a paleo-inspired diet I can actually SCRAPE it with my nail with no effect. (Not to mention I never have a "scummy" feeling in my mouth). And, I've never been a big brusher. Your mouth naturally produces compounds which heal your teeth, couldn't the constant brushing with a toxic chemical be doing damage to good bacteria as well as the bad, inhibiting your bodies natural healing response? And if you aren't eating carbohydrates, just where are the bad bacteria going to get fuel to reproduce so dramatically?
Does anybody know exactly HOW bad bacteria in the mouth directly contribute to heart disease, diabetes and cancer? Or, could it be that it's not causal, but correlative? That is, out of control mouth bacteria, heart-disease, diabetes and cancer are all correlated with carbohydrate intake and not that one is causative of the others?
Thoughts?
ReplyOne of the theories behind why bad oral hygiene could be linked to heart disease is that the bacteria in your mouth enter your bloodstream via your damaged/bleeding gums. These bacteria are then able to live in your blood vessels and cause problems and inflammation in your body. It sounds like you have a good handle on how to prevent the bacteria in your mouth from sticking around...if you eat a lot of naturally abrasive foods, you scrape off the biofilm that the bacteria produce and they have nothing to adhere to your teeth with. Brushing with a toothbrush does the same thing, but you should also eat a lot fibrous, abrasive foods and drink a lot of water.
Reply"One thing that does seem to help keep my teeth nice is to eat a lot of naturally crunchy/abrasive foods like carrots, broccoli, apples, etc. I have a theory that these kinds of foods are like nature's toothbrush: they are what would keep your teeth clean in the wild if you didn't have a toothbrush handy all the time."
^Amen. It's a two-way street. Ever seen a crack or meth addict with good teeth? What you put in your body will either keep it healthy or break it down. And I agree, esp. apples and pears = nature's toothbrush - feels like better than after the dentist clean, and for a lot cheaper :) As a matter of fact, I don't floss, and I stopped using fluoride toothpaste about 3 years ago. Checkups have been fabulous. I understand there are other factors like genetics and pregnancy hormones (checkups were not so nice while PG) but for the most part - water, apples, pears, good diet :)
ReplyI finally got into the habit of flossing when I discovered Gripit Floss Holders - www.gripit.biz. These handy devices come with their own floss supply that can be advanced in seconds and refilled from local drug and grocery stores. Using them, I don't have to put my fingers into my mouth. This was a big deterrent in the past.
ReplyI've read a similar story in Reader's digest way back, about bad oral hygiene and it's relationship to heart disease.
Thanks for sharing this one. I learned a lot.
ReplyI'm in agreement that what you put in your body will either break down or build up your teeth. Fresh veggies reduce silent inflammation and do a little teeth cleaning in the process!
Reply