Healthy gums are the foundation of a beautiful smile.  Of course, brushing and flossing are the key to having healthy gums.  However, new research shows that eating certain foods can also help keep your gums in the pink.  Just like the rest of you body, your gum tissue responds to the types of foods you eat and the minerals and vitamins those foods provide.  Think of these nutritional boosts, listed below, as the perfect partner for oral home care and regular dental visits.

1) Salmon – This fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduces inflamation all over the body, including your gums!  A study found that patients with proper home care who ate foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids slashed their risk of gingivitis by up to 20%.

2) Strawberries – These delicious berries are bursting with vitamin C.  Vitamin C  helps to build collagen, an important component of healthy gum tissue.  In fact, people who consume less than 60 milligrams of  Vitamin C each day are more likely to develop gingivitis.  Consume just six large Strawberries, and you have exceeded that recommended amount.   But stay away from vitamin supplement drinks.  They have been shown to erode tooth enamel with long term use.

3)  Whole Grain Bread – Whole grains contain iron and B vitamins, two nutrients essential to gum health.  One study found that eating three servings of whole grains a day reduces the risk of gum disease by 23% in patients with good oral hygiene.  Consider adding barley, oatmeal, and brown rice as well.

4)  Green Tea – Hot or cold, this brew is brimming with antioxidants that help to kill the bacteria  leading to gingivitis.  Also, Green Tea has been shown to reduce the germs that cause bad breath.  Be aware, however, that many pre-bottled green tea drinks are sweetened with sugar or mixed with fruit juices.  It is important not to undermine your healthy gums by promoting cavities!

5)  Pistachios – These nuts are also rich in antioxidants and have been show to fight gum inflammation.  Plus, chewing hard foods like nuts helps to scrape dental bacteria off of your enamel.

By enjoying a healthy diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins as part of your Home Dental Care, you are strengthening your gums and fighting gingivitis from the inside out!  Remember, you are what you eat!  Keep brushing and flossing, eat healthy, and keep smiling!

Plaque bacteria is the primary cause of gum disease.  As the bacteria colony grows on a tooth,  it develops a hard layer called Tartar or Calculus.  This layer spreads along the surface of the tooth, and as the bacteria  extends below the gum line, Periodontal Disease develops.  At first, the patient will show signs of  Gingivitis or an irritation and bleeding of the gums.  Advanced stages, however, will exhibit a swelling / inflammation of the gingiva and  bone loss around the tooth.  As the bone retreats from the tartar, the tooth will  become loose and may eventually need to be extracted.  Research shows that a tooth’s survival rate in a healthy normal mouth over a person’s life time is over 95%:  however, in the presence of Periodontal Disease,  a tooth’s survival rate drops below 60%.  At the office of Dr. Mark Freeman & Associates, we classify a tooth which has lost 40 % or more of it supporting bone as being “Questionable” or perhaps “Hopeless”.

With the help and dedication of the patient, Periodontal Disease can be arrested, and teeth with “Questionable” support  can often be maintained for many years.  This requires a major shift in the way the patient thinks about their teeth, oral hygiene and dental care.  If the patient  accepts treatment and is willing to make changes, the life span of their periodontally involved teeth can be extended.   First, a patient with advanced Periodontal Disease will need some level of Scaling and Root Planing.  This can be done either at our Dental Office or the Periodontist (gum specialist) depending on what the Doctor believes will get the best results.  Often called Quadrant Scaling, the patient is given anesthesia and each tooth is scaled to the bottom of the periodontal pocket, removing all hardened plaque bacteria.  Once debridement is complete, the Doctor may choose to place an anti-microbial agent, such as Arestin, in the deep pockets to prevent new bacterial growth and assist the gum tissue in reattaching to the root structure.

After  Quadrant Scaling, it is up to the patient to increase their home care.  Correct brushing and flossing methods are taught to the patient to keep the newly cleaned surfaces free of food debris and plaque.  This is often where the treatment is most vulnerable to failure.  The patient has had years of poor dental habits which created their Periodontal Disease, and now it is necessary for them to perform aggressive home care  practically overnight.  At our office, we recommend the SoniCare Toothbrush to help with this learning curve.  Properly used, it aids the patient in removing food debris, plaque and stain from the teeth and helps to flush out the gingival pockets by pulsating fluid downward with a sonic wave.  Many other devices can be recommended to the patient for cleaning their teeth, but at this point it is up to the patient to spend the time and effort to maintain their smile.

To check the patient’s progress and help maintain a better oral condition, patients are placed on a three month periodontal recall .  Patients come in every three months for additional cleanings and to have their periodontal pockets checked.  Questionable teeth are of a particular concern and closely monitored.  Depending on the patients severity and how well they are preforming their home care, they may be kept on a three month cycle or moved to a four month recall.

The primary goal of Periodontal Therapy is to stop the progression of the disease and save tooth structure.  Studies have shown that Patients who invest the time and funds into Periodontal Treatment can prolong the life of their Questionable  teeth.  In a study of 262 patients who accepted Periodontal Scaling and aggressively altered their home care, 88 % of questionable teeth were able to survive for a period of 15 years and more.  This is in comparison to a similar population who declined treatment.  The patient must understand that once the bone support is lost, it is lost for ever.  It is our goal to stop the progression of the disease, to create a more healthy periodontal condition and to maintain the patient at this level.   This will  allow them to keep their natural teeth as long as possible.

For more detail and videos about Periodontal Disease and its treatment, please visit the Your Oral Health page of our Web-Site at RichmondDentalGroup.com.   If you have any additional questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact our office.

When working with the general population, our Staff at Dr. Mark Freeman & Associates are sometimes perplexed to why one person has a high cavity rate and another person does not.  Especially when the person getting the cavities seems to be doing everything right.  Sometimes, the answer is hidden in the patient’s Medical History.  One of the new links between Systemic Issues and Dental Cavities is Asthma:  however, this correlation is tricky and needs to be understood by the patient and/or the parent.  Results gathered through a variety of studies all indicate that there is no evidence directly linking  Asthma with Dental Decay.  Studies also show that the severity of a person’s Asthma and/or the frequency of their attacks does not influence the amount of Cavities a person develops.  So if a link cannot be found between the Respritory Disease and Dental Decay, why do some patients with Asthma tend to have a higher rate of decay over their lifetime?

One possible reason is the use of Inhalers to combat the Asthma attacks.  Studies  show that the long-term use of inhalers leads to a hypofunction of the salivary glands.  This means the salivary glands do not function at their optimum rate, producing less saliva and in some cases a thicker saliva.  This is a side effect of many medications called Xerostomia or Dry Mouth.  Saliva is one of the most important factors in battling Decay.  Saliva acts as a natural lubricant, creating a slick film layer to lessen the amount of Bacteria  adhering to the tooth.  Saliva is also a constant cleaning force to to help flush the mouth of excessive  bacterial levels.  But the greatest effect that Saliva has in the mouth, is that it is a natural Base which balances out the high Acidic levels produced by Dental Bacteria.  It is this Acid by-product which breaks down enamel and begins the decay process. 

Patients with reduced levels of Saliva (Dry Mouth) often suffer from a variety of problems including a burning sensation of the tongue, bad breath, and an increased Decay Rate.   Without a proper Salivary Flow, patients with Dry Mouth often have a higher oral bacterial rate.  This increase in microscopic activity can lead to decay if the bacterial levels are not disturbed  by good Oral Home Care —- Brushing & Flossing.    Home Care and an increase in topical Fluoride can help Xerostomia patients keep their decay rate at more normal levels.  At the office of Dr. Mark Freeman & Associates, we recommend the SoniCare Toothbrush to help break-up plaque growth and stimulate Saliva production, prescription toothpastes with high levels of Topical Fluoride, and chewing Sugar Free Gum.  Sugar Free Gum helps to control decay by removing bacteria from the tooth’s surface and stimulating Saliva.   Xylitol (the sugar substitute) also aids in killing oral bacteria.

Studies have shown that there is no direct relationship between Asthma  and a patient’s Decay Rate.  It is the use of inhalers which can contribute to increased Dental Caries by causing Dry Mouth Syndrome.  This can, however, be combated with increased Brushing, Flossing, Flossing & the use of Sugar-Free Gum.   For more information concerning Xerostomia see our web page concerning Dry Mouth at richmonddentalgroup.com.