Periodontal Disease and Pregnancy: How Gum Infection can Affect Pregnancy

By admin on Friday, January 20, 2012

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Filed Under: Dental Care, Health

While periodontitis and pregnancy may seem like they’re from the opposite poles of the medical spectrum, the awareness of the possible risk it poses on both the expectant mothers and their babies can infact save them from an unfavorable experience.  As you know, a whopping 1/3 of pregnant women are affected by periodontal diseases of different levels of severity and it is sad that only a handful of them know the devastating effects they have on pregnancy.  You may be wondering how something as seemingly harmless as gum infection can affect you and your baby.  Here are a couple of reasons why.

Periodontal disease manifests as gingivitis or the inflammation of the gum tissues surrounding the tooth.  This caused by the bacteria residing in the plaque buildup on teeth and in the gumline which feeds on the sugars and carbohydrates in food particles left in between teeth.  When plaque is not removed, tartar develops and it digs deeper into the gumline to form pockets between the tooth and the gum tissues.  As this pockets deepen, the tooth will start to become loose and eventually become detached from the socket.  That is why it is important to seek periodontal disease treatment at the first sign of gum infection to avoid early teeth loss.

But teeth loss is only the tip of the iceberg.  Studies suggest that there are links between periodontal disease and pregnancy complications, such as premature birth, low birth weight in babies and late miscarriages.  One theory suggests that the bacteria from the gum infection can enter the bloodstream via the mouth and could reach the placental membrane, thus causing inflammation and resulting to labor.  Apart from that, the increase of antibodies that respond to certain bacteria and toxins found in periodontal diseases stimulates contraction, thus causing labor.  The same antibodies have been found in the fetal cord and the amniotic fluid samples of infants who are either born prematurely or underweight.

But don’t fret.  Periodontal diseases are curable, especially if caught early on.  Maintaining good oral hygiene practices can prevent or even heal the early signs of periodontal diseases.  You can even consult your dentist for safe, medicated toothpaste or mouthwash to kill the bacteria causing the inflammation of the gums.  Apart from that, a change in lifestyle and diet can do wonders on your gum’s health.  Food rich in vitamins A, C and B can help boost your immune system which fights off bacteria that could infect your gums.  You can also ask your ob-gyneacologist for food supplements you can take during pregnancy.

Gingivitis and Endocarditis – how are these related

By admin on Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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Filed Under: Dental Care, Health

The inflammation of the gum tissue or gingivitis has been caused by the waste products of bacterial plaque that is allowed to remain chronically around the teeth and below the gum line. If left untreated, this inflammation leads to loss of bone, gum recession and possible loss of teeth. However, there have been some evidences that indicate untreated gum disease can lead to endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis is a serious threat to heart valve health which occurs when bacteria adhere to the leaflets, cemented in place by platelets, fibrin, and other material from one’s own circulatory system. It is a fatal condition that causes inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart. This infection starts when the gums begin to bleed providing a route for the bacteria to enter the bloodstream. This may also lead to lung infections and a weakened immune system.

The dental bacteria that enters the body has the capability to clump together with the blood clots to сrеаtе platelet cells. This will then protect the bacteria from the immune system and antibiotics. These clumps can create abrasions on blood vessel walls, enabling the fatty acids to attach themselves. Once attached, thеѕе fatty acids constrict the blood vessels thus blocking the efficient flow of blood.

Before it gets any worse, one must start looking for ways on how to get rid of gingivitis. One can opt for natural remedies like herbal treatments or home remedies. Tea can be used as a gum disease treatment because it contains tannic acid found on the tea bag that can lessen the swelling and eases gum tenderness. Baking soda is another home remedy that has the capacity to purify and freshen the mouth while gently cleaning the teeth. Aloe Vera gel has been known to have a slight numbing effect that helps quicken the healing of gum tissues. This is very helpful for people with extra sensitive gums and teeth and it has been believed that it can increase the moisture in the mouth which lessens bad breath.

For those cases where one needs to cure gingivitis immediately, one can visit the dentist and dental hygienist. This is the most recommended path because these professionals offer teeth cleaning to remove the tartar where the anaerobic bacteria hide behind and breed faster. They can perform regeneration where the destroyed gum and bone tissue is restored using a bone graft and specialized tissue generating protein treatments. Pocket reduction Surgery is an advanced gum disease treatment that eradicates the bacteria and helps reduce the size of the pockets so that the gums will hopefully reattach to the teeth.

Ways You Are Hurting Your Dental Health

By admin on Wednesday, November 23, 2011

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Filed Under: Dental Care, Health

Dental health is a constant issue for most people. Over 47% of people in the United States alone are plagued with one form of dental problems from bad breath to tartar, receding gums to cavities, and many more. For some reason there are people who don’t tend to their dental health as much as they should, taking for granted a healthy-looking mouth without even pausing to consider that on the back end, there is something bad that’s looming.

We are a society who are addicted to carbohydrates, sweets and other harmful food that does very little good to the overall health of the body and especially for the teeth and gums. It is even more alarming that as the reality of teeth loss, gum disease and such are even more prevalent, there are still people who refuse to take heed f their dentist’s advice.

Not brushing the teeth is one of the most common ways to avoid gum disease such as receding or inflamed gums and cavities on the teeth. Currently, there is no absolute treatment for receding gums. For people who are experiencing this, the only way to help alleviate the aftermath of the bacteria is by keeping bacteria from multiplying.  Even the best of dentists would remark that  reversing receding gums is almost impossible once they have receded or have been eaten away by bacteria.

There are plenty of incentives for us to ensure that we follow through with a rigorous daily brushing routine, for starters, we don’t want to have halitosis. This is a serious dental issue that affect people who don’t brush their teeth, letting food debris fester and serve as a good meal to bacteria in the mouth. As the bacteria continues to multiply, they produce an acidic compound that makes the mouth infected and smell of something rotten. The stink of his or her breath is more than what other people can bear. Not many people have the stomach to withstand a smell similar to a gaping trash bin, which is the same smell of a person’s halitosis-infested mouth.

Ensuring that you have at least a daily brushing routine will help with keeping your teeth healthier than people who don’t. With the least effort of overseeing that there is no food debris for the bacteria to feast on and to keep the mouth clean always and prevent the population of bad microorganisms to grow.

What Your Bleedings Gums is Telling You

By admin on Sunday, October 30, 2011

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Filed Under: Dental Care, Health

Gum issues and problems are said to have a direct link to many health problems. You must know that routine habits of oral hygiene like daily brushing and flossing of your teeth protect the body from heart diseases like stroke and heart attack. You can control what will happen to your oral health and this is good news if you are practicing good dental hygiene habits at a young age until now.

Studies have shown that people with any disease and issues on the gums doubles their risk of suffering from heart attack as compared to those individuals who have healthy gums. Those individuals with poor dental health are more prone to the incidence of heart attack. But whether you have or don’t have heart disease; it is clearly beneficial to perform good oral care. Going beyond just merely brushing and flossing will give a boost to your overall dental health, and your heart.

Where research has shown that bacteria in your mouth are the major cause of gum disease, increasing also your risk at having heart diseases; gum disease has also been known to cause infection and inflammation. This is because of the increase levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in your body which is associated to poor homocysteine levels in your heart. However, there are supplements that can be taken that are beneficial to your health and lower the risk of developing gum disease and its symptoms. These supplements reduce the swelling and reddish coloration of the gums, halitosis, and stop bleeding gums.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient proven helpful for your dental health because it prevents the occurrence of gingivitis. The recommended amount of taking vitamin C daily is at least 500 mg. Vitamin D plays a major role in reducing the swelling and inflammation, and stop bleeding gums linked to the gum disease. It was found out in studies that individuals with high vitamin D levels in their body systems were 20% less likely to develop bleeding gums. You should take at least take 400 IU of vitamin D3 everyday.

Coenzyme Q10 is another nutrient known to help individuals with gum disease and stop bleeding gums. Most patients with gum disease were found to be deficient of CoQ10. The recommended amount for taking this nutrient daily is 60 mg for the protection of your gums. However, you must take 100 mg a day if you already have the disease until such time when your gums have already fully recovered. This nutrient is also known to be good for your heart hence taking 100 mg of this daily will offer multiple benefits.

It always pays to be good to your mouth, take good care of your gums, and practice daily dental hygiene habits. This will only take less than ten minutes of your time everyday but you will be getting enhanced dental health as well as improved overall physical health.

Causes of Gum Sores

By admin on Saturday, September 17, 2011

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Filed Under: Dental Care, Health

Gum sores are ulcers in the gums or in the tissues that support your teeth.  It is extremely painful and can cause difficulty in eating.  If left untreated, this could cause teeth loss and a whole slew of other periodontal diseases and conditions.  Determining what causes gum sores will be able to help you and your dentist figure out the best solution for your gum sores.  Bacterial overgrowth is the most common cause of gum sores.  While a certain amount of bacteria is harmless or even necessary, overgrowth of bacteria can release toxins which are detrimental to your dental health.  This could lead to other complications like receding gums and trench mouth.

One of the common gum sores causes is gum cancer.  These gum sores often start out as little white bumps which then develop to red or white sores.  This often results to thickening of the gums and loss of teeth especially if the sores occur in the cavity near the teeth.   Gum sores are also just one of the few symptoms of certain periodontal diseases.  Two of the best examples are gingivitis and periodontitis.  Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease while Periodontitis is the second stage of gum disease.  Just like gum cancer, if periodontitis and gingivitis is left untreated, this could cause teeth loss.

Poor dental health resulting to tooth infection can also cause gum sores.  Bumps and sores can develop around the cavity which holds the tooth and this can be extremely painful.  This could also lead to teeth loss eventually.  Other than that, ill-fitting dentures and braces can contribute to the appearance of gum sores.  Your gums are soft and very delicate.  Once your dentures become lose, you may need to have them fixed by your dentist.  Otherwise, this could cause sores to develop on your gums and in the crevices of your mouth.  It could also lead to decay to the rest of your teeth.

Once you have developed gum sores, a visit to the dentist can help you clear out the sores and the probably the cause.  Your dentist might schedule an X-ray, tooth extraction, tightening of dentures and other solutions to remedy gum sores.  You must not, in any way, attempt to cure the gum sores yourself.  Doing so could lead to other complications.  Change in lifestyle and habit can also prevent the spread of gum sores to the rest of your mouth cavity.  Eating food rich in vitamins and minerals can contribute to the fast healing of sores as well as the prevention of its spread.  Good oral hygiene, too, can help hasten the healing process of your gum sores.

Small and Substantial Steps in Treating Gingivitis

By admin on Thursday, August 18, 2011

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Filed Under: Health

Experiencing gingivitis could possibly be one of the most challenging and exasperating phases that a person will encounter in his or her whole lifetime.  On a general perspective though, any forms of ailments or disease can bring someone a lot of stress – sometimes to a point that it is too much to handle.  With this stress, we do not only pertain to the physical stress brought by the disease but also to the emotional, psychological, and financial aspect of the patient.  Indeed, taking care of our health should always be to priority as its effect (caused by the carelessness of our actions) can be a thousand fold.

In the case of gingivitis, what makes it very difficult to handle is the fact that it is a discrete kind of some sort.  This means that the early symptoms of gingivitis cannot be felt immediately.  What makes it worse is that one will only be able to tell that gingivitis is on the loose when the case becomes too extreme.  Apart from that, a lot of these supposed early signs of gingivitis are often ignored, thus allowing the disease to grow and propagate within the oral cavity.

With that in mind, it is important to be able to be aware or even to list down the symptoms of gingivitis.  Through this, you will be on “red alert” if in any case you have the slightest experience of any of the listed symptoms.  One of the most common indicators of gingivitis is halitosis.  This condition is commonly known as bad breath.  Do not think that simply because you ate something spicy that you experience bad breath.  This could mean that some of your gum layers have started to deteriorate and spoil.

Bleeding gums is also an indicator of a possible attack of gingivitis.  Sometimes, people tend to believe that their gums bleed due to overbrushing.  Though this may be necessarily true, it could also mean that your gums have been weakened that any slight contact it encounters automatically leads to bleeding.  The weakening of your gum layers can be caused by plaque and the infestation of harmful bacteria inside your oral cavity.  As a result, your gums tend to separate from your teeth, causing it to be unstable.

Since plaque is pointed out as the leading component as to why the gums become weakened and deteriorated, the treatment to gingivitis would involve the removal of plaque.  The best way to remove plaque would be to maintain proper oral hygiene.  Plaque will never be able to propagate if the oral cavity is kept clean.  This small step can rake in big and substantial effects which may change your whole life.

Finding A Treatment for Canker Sores To Eliminate Embarrassment

By admin on Tuesday, January 18, 2011

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Filed Under: Health

When you are looking for a treatment for canker sores, it is always a good idea to get the opinions of others as well as to consult your doctor so you will know what will work best. The best thing to consider is the fact that there are a number of options that are available and many of them are not overly expensive in aiding you to treat canker sores you have. Think of all of the different people who have given you advice about one thing or another and then think if these are the people you want to tell you how to get rid of the sores inside your mouth.

The best source you will have when you are looking for treatment of canker sores is going to be your doctor. They are familiar with your medical history and they also have no problem dispensing advice as well as their medication to you. The thing you need to consider though is which of the many remedies that are out there will work best for you.

Consider what you will do and what options you have as far as home remedies. One of the most common ways to treat canker sores is through proper oral hygiene. One product you may want to consider in this is OraMD. This in itself is not a cure, but more of a way of treating and helping to prevent the onset of canker sores. Of course this is just one of the many steps in good oral hygiene that will allow you to be able to properly treat the canker sores.

Canker sores will cause a lot of problems and there are many different over the counter supplements that are out there to help to prevent or provide treatment for canker sores. These will work for individuals differently depending on how your body reacts to what it is you will be facing with the canker sores.

Proper treatment of canker sores can not only lead to better hygiene but can also lead to less embarrassment for you as well. Once you have found a treatment that you know works for you, you will be able to feel better and be more confident in what you will be able to do with yourself and your body. Regardless of the situation, your treatment for canker sores will lead you to be more efficient and happier in life overall.