An Ounce of Prevention
"I'll start over on Monday." "I'll do better...starting Monday." If this sounds familiar to you, we have something in common. We have 52 mini-resolution Mondays every year. So by the time the week has gone to hell, typically early Wednesday afternoon, we've only to wait a few days and we are presented with a fresh new Monday in which to dust ourselves off and t try again. My usual suspects include: 1) Giving up Diet Coke. 2)Preserving my Super-Hero status amongst my offspring. 3) Eating more OMG It's Spicy. 4) Achieving Super-Hero status with my wife. Respectively...Difficult, Easy for now, Delicious, and Unlikely.
A few short weeks from now we have the opportunity to dedicate ourselves to our more meaningful New Year's Resolutions. I hope that this article inspires you to include improving and/ or maintaining optimal oral health amongst your New Year's goals. I have readers who maintain their oral health on a daily basis and keep regular care visits at their dental office; at which they're told, "Your teeth and gums look great! It was nice seeing you today and I look forward to your next visit in 6 months." For these readers, resolve. to keep doing what you're doing. There are others in the audience, however, that know that there are necessary improvements in their daily routine that need to be made with respect to their mouths. You know who you are and the time is now. My line of work is filled with sad should-of, could-of, and would-of.
Ole Benny Franklin couldn't have said it better when he stated, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This strikes at the heart of Dentistry in the 21st century. Tooth Decay and Gum Disease represent failure to both the dentist and the patient. With my competitive nature I do not enjoy failure, so prevention of oral pathology is my success story and it saves my patients from pain, from embarrassment, from spending additional money on restorative dentistry, and it saves them time.
I'll spare you the brushing, flossing, and rinsing (the Holy Trinity of preventative dentistry) discussion and focus the remainder of this article on a contemporary and successful sub-stance that comes to us in the form of a naturally occurring sugar alcohol. If you have not heard of it as of yet, let me introduce you to the newest member in the preventative dentistry family: (CHOH)3(CH2OH)2 aka: XYLITOL.
What is it?
Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar commonly found and extracted from Birch trees. It has been utilized therapeutically in the treatment of diabetes for years and has more recently seen use as an anti-cavity (noncariogenic) agent.
How Does it Work?
Xylitol functions to prevent cavities in 3 stages of cavity development. First, Xylitol inhibits bacterial plaque accumulation on the surface of the teeth. Second, Xylitol prevents the growth and multiplication of decay-causing bacteria. The chemical structure of Xylitol prevents it from being used as a food source for bacteria, which inhibits growth and destructive acid production. Third, Xylitol aids in the repair of damaged tooth structure. In the interest of space and trees please read more @ http://www.xylitol.org/ dental-benefits-of-xylitol.
How Do I Get it?
Before adding Xylitol to your oral health arsenal, consult with your Dentist and determine your risk for developing dental cavities. I place patients in one of three categories: Low risk, Moderate Risk, and High Risk. The products I recommend are are determined by someone's risk for developing dental decay. If you are determined to be at Moderate to High risk, Xylitol products are indicated and should available at at your Dental office. The most common methods for getting Xylitol are through chewing gum, lozenges, hard candies, and rinses. I offer. enges, CariFree products and invite you to learn more @ http://carifree.com/pa- tient/home.html.
Don't want to wait until you see your dentist? Great! I applaud your enthusiasm. Xylitol is available to the consumer in most sugar-free chewing gums. However, only Ice Breakers Ice Cubes have a sufficient amount effective at 1.1 grams per cube. Chewing 2 cubes for five minutes after each meal will provide you with the recommended 6-10 grams daily. In addition, chewing sugarless gum will increase the production of saliva by 10 times your normal rate. This can be especially helpful after sugary meals to reverse drops in your oral pH and to keep bacteria in check.
For New Mother's:
If you read my articles regularly you probably have learned that I place a lot of responsibility on Mother's, especially New Mother's. You have been put in a position a tremendous importance, the raising of our future generation. I want you to think of your child's teeth as your teeth. That means my wife is responsible for exactly 90 teeth every morning and afternoon. I assume responsibility at night and let me tell you, those 90 teeth get a scrub down.
Infants are not born with cavity-causing bacteria in their mouths. s Mom. One They have to get from someone else, and that typically is M of the really cool benefits of chewing Xylitol gum is that it reduces the risk of transmission of cavity-making bacteria from Moms to their children (yes smarts and good looks aren't the only things kids get from their moms). Children of mothers who chewed Xylitol gum directed starting 3-6 months after childbirth and continued until their children had all their baby teeth at the age of 2 had a dramatically lower risk for cavities. The direct cause of this was a significantly lower amount of destructive cavity-causing bacteria found in the child's dental plaque. Why, because the use of Xylitol containing chewing gum by their mothers significantly decreased the level of these bacteria in Mom's mouth as well. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. Read more @ http://www.freysmiles.com/blog/view/xylitol-gum-a-guide-for-new-moms-everyone-else.
Prevention is the answer my friends. It's much easier and cheaper to change the oil occasionally than to replace the engine. Let's brighten the future with bright healthy smiles. See you next year!
Read An Ounce of Prevention and other Smile Montana articles by Dr. John F. Miller, DDS, in 406 Woman magazines.