By Angela Pirisi
Brush away illness
SPRING OFFERS PLENTY to smile about, and
because April is Dental Health Month, it may also get
you thinking about keeping your smile healthy.
■ increases the risk of having a preterm birth by
4 to 7.9 times.
Over the past decade, research has been probing
the links between oral and physical health. And while
more evidence is needed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between gum disease and various
chronic diseases, there’s enough to suggest that the
state of your mouth can affect your overall health.
“The new findings basically echo what we
already know as common sense, such as making
healthy choices to prevent or manage diabetes and
heart disease, and in pregnancy,” says Smith. The
whole idea behind good oral hygiene is not to let
bacteria get a foothold. What’s the harm in skipping
that brushing tonight? Bacteria start to build up on
teeth within 20 minutes of eating, and it takes oral
plaque only 24 to 36 hours to harden into tartar. It’s
like that phrase “Build it and they will come”—once
tartar clings to the gum line, bacteria start invading
The most touted health links are between gum
disease and heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well
as low-weight babies and preterm births. Given the
diabetes epidemic, oral health is even more significant
as a strategy for disease prevention and management.
OK, YOU KNOW you should
visit your dentist every six
months, brush your teeth twice
a day and floss once daily. Here
are a few more things you need
Several studies have shown that the more
advanced the gum disease, the higher the risk of
these conditions. According to one theory, signs of
gum disease may simply be red flags for disease
development elsewhere in the body. Another theory
suggests that oral bacteria can slip past the gum line
and enter the bloodstream. However, more studies
are needed to pinpoint gum disease as the cause.
■ Limit between-meal
snacking, especially sugar- or
acid-based foods. Your teeth are
exposed to bacteria-causing
substances each time you eat.
■ When you brush, brush
for at least two minutes at a time,
so hum your favourite song.
“The thought is that bacteria that cause gum disease are also found in the body, and can cause inflammation and infection in the same way,” says Dr.
Darryl Smith, president of the Canadian Dental
Association, who practices dentistry in Valleyview,
Alberta. “We once thought of the mouth as something separate from the rest of the body, but now we
know that diseases that affect the mouth can also
affect other parts.”
The good news is that there are new and
improved ways to guard your teeth and gums. Oral
care has come a long way, from chewing on a twig to
clean one’s teeth in 3500 B.C. to state-of-the-art
power brushes and multi-tasking toothpastes that
clean, whiten, disinfect and protect, and more. But
advances in oral care lately have been going beyond
brightening teeth and freshening breath, with innovations focusing on healthy teeth and gums.
A number of oral-care innovations have helped
to step up the fight against gum disease and tooth loss
by making it easier to clean teeth and gums better.
■ Floss before you brush. It
helps to clear out excess food
deposits that your brush can’t
reach easily. Not flossing means
you’re missing one-third of your
Just as bacteria and plaque (the result of built-up,
hardened bacteria and deposits) can cause inflammation and infection in the gums and teeth, they can
wreak havoc wherever they travel within the body.
The clincher is that the mouth is the “gatekeeper” for
bacteria and can either keep them out or let them in,
past the gum line and into the bloodstream.
Face it: Your smile may make a first impression,
but how well you look after your mouth may leave a
lasting impression on your whole health. “Oral
health is just part of healthy lifestyle choices we know
we should make and healthy habits we know we
should be practicing, such as exercise, nutrition and
hand washing,” says Smith.
■ Drink water between
brushings. It beats sweet beverages. Rinse your mouth with
water following any meal or
snack to clean away sugar and
acid, which lay out a welcome
mat for bacteria.
So, will there come a day when we tell our kids,
“Brush your teeth—it’s good for your heart”? It’s not
that clear-cut yet, but it’s probably safe to say, “Brush
your teeth—it’s good for your health.” C
■ Get your fluoride fill. Use
a toothpaste containing fluoride
and drink water that is fluoridated. Tap water wins out over
bottled water for fluoride.
So gum disease isn’t just about sore gums—it
signifies a crack in the armour that makes up your
whole physical health.
Angela Pirisi is a Hamilton, Ontario–based freelance
writer who covers health, fitness and nutrition. Her work
appears frequently in The Costco Connection.
Here’s what research findings have reported so
far. Gum disease
■ Avoid late-night snacking. Don’t indulge in snacks or
beverages that contain sugar
within one to two hours of bed
unless you rinse and brush your
■ seems to worsen blood sugar control in
diabetics; however, good oral care improves blood
■ increases the risk of cardiovascular disease,
especially stroke, by 1.04 to 2.8 fold;
The Costco Connection
Costco warehouses carry a variety of products to
promote oral health, including toothpaste, tooth-brushes, dental floss and oral rinses.
■ Quit smoking. Even
second-hand smoke exposure
increase the chances of gum