Surgery? Have a dental visit first

Are you having surgery soon? 

It's time to visit the dentist! 

If you have concerns about your oral health, such as tooth pain or bleeding gums, it's important to have a dental visit prior to your surgical procedure. Dental disease may not hurt and can go undetected, so even if you don't have concerns, having a dental visit before your surgery is a good idea.  This way you can be confident your mouth is healthy while you focus on your recovery.

Post-surgery, it's important to ask your surgeon if you will require any medication prior to dental treatment. Procedures such as total joint replacement and some heart surgeries may require you to take antibiotics. 

If you take blood thinners, your dental office may ask that you obtain medical clearance from your doctor or specialist prior to dental treatment. You may need to stop or remain on your medication, or take premedication, depending on the type of dental treatment you need. 

Always tell your dentist and dental hygienist what medications you are taking. Medications can affect oral health in surprising ways. Update your dental hygienist and dentist with any planned procedures, any medical changes, medication changes, new medical conditions, or allergies, even if you don't think they will affect your mouth.

The mouth is the gateway to the body! Anything that affects your body can affect your oral health. Your dentist and dental hygienist are partners in keeping you healthy and happy.

Good luck with your surgery! 

This blog and its posts are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or advise about any dental or medical condition. Please see your dentist or doctor for any treatment or information you need regarding your health.

Breast Cancer and Gum Disease

Yet another reason to care for your gums and teeth

There are 10 times as many germs in our bodies as there are cells. Not only do our bodies play host to a great variety of germs, germs interacting with our bodies can either help us or harm us. Researchers are continually studying the role germs play in causing chronic inflammation and how germs contribute to systemic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The association between cancer and germs is not new and has been studied for years. Bacteria that live in the mouth have been found in breast cancer tumors and studies have found that almost all women who have been treated for breast cancer have some form of gum disease. 

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease. In its early stages (gingivitis) it causes bleeding, puffy gums, and in the later stages tooth and bone loss (periodontitis.) Almost 50% of adults in our country who are over 30 and over two-thirds of adults over 65 have some degree of periodontitis. Breast cancer risk also increases as women age.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Gum disease &
breast cancer risk.
photo by YM

A new study reveals that postmenopausal women who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease by their dentists have a 14% higher risk of developing breast cancer. That number jumps to over 30% in women who have smoked within the past 20 years. Smoking is a huge contributing factor to periodontal disease and is also known to increase breast cancer risk. 

More research is needed to discover fully how bacteria contributes to diseases like breast cancer but enough evidence already exists to suggest that taking care of one's oral health pays off in better overall health.

For more on this recent breast cancer study visit: http://www.aacr.org/Newsroom/Pages/News-Release-Detail.aspx?ItemID=823#.VoQPn_krLIU

Source information: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-59322014001000706&script=sci_arttext;

http://www.aacr.org/Newsroom/Pages/News-Release-Detail.aspx?ItemID=823#.VoQPn_krLIU; http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2015/12/12/1055-9965.EPI-15-0750.abstract; http://cbcrp.org.164.seekdotnet.com/research/PageGrant.asp?grant_id=29509; https://www.perio.org/consumer/cdc-study.htm

This blog is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition. Please see you dentist or doctor if you aren't feeling well and take care of yourself!

Be a Quitter

The Great American Smokeout

Cigarette smoking kills over 500,000 Americans each year including deaths due to second-hand smoke. Illness due to smoking results in hundreds of billions of dollars in medical costs. (cdc.gov)

Every third Thursday each November, the American Cancer Society asks smokers to quit, even if it's for just one day (cancer.org). After 20 minutes of not smoking, heart rate and blood pressure decrease; after 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in the blood

Quit Smoking Today
Photo: Y. Mikalopas

drop. The longer a person stays smoke free the more health benefits are gained.

In addition to being devastating to the entire body, smoking affects the mouth and teeth in very significant ways. Smokers may find that their gums don't bleed, ordinarily a sign of health. However, smokers actually have a higher incidence of both periodontal disease and tooth loss than non-smokers. The gums aren't bleeding because the blood vessels are constricted and oxygen is needed more urgently by the lungs and heart. 

Smoking also increases risk for the following conditions in the mouth:

• oral cancer 
• esophageal cancer
• periodontal/gum disease
• cavities
• tooth loss
• black hairy tongue (if you've never seen it, Google it)
• dry mouth
• bad breath

Diseases caused by smoking and second hand smoke are preventable. Quitting, if only for one day, is the first step to better health.

sources: Ann Periodontol. 1998 Jul;3(1):88-101., cdc.gov, ada.org, cancer.org. This blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. If you need medical or dental treatment, seek help from your doctor or dentist. If you smoke, QUIT!

Your Heart in Your Mouth

"My heart was in my mouth" is an expression I have always loved and a friend of mine used to use it all the time.  At 14 years old she already had a job working in a local bodega, (that's the Brooklyn version of a convenience store only smaller and selling more beer and cigarettes than anything else,) and I thought she was super-sophisticated.  She certainly met a lot of colorful characters and nary a shift went by that something nerve-wracking hadn't happened along the bustling avenue where she worked.

The phrase came to mind the other day as I was reading an article on dental treatment of patients with heart disease.  It is so important that patients with cardiovascular disease inform their dentists and dental hygienists of any changes in their heart health or medications.  Certain procedures, such as valve replacement or stent placement, may require premedication or even delay non-emergency treatment.  Medications for heart disease, ranging from high blood pressure meds to blood thinners also have effects on the mouth such as increased bleeding or dry mouth. Patients who have had strokes may find it difficult to brush or floss due to loss or decrease of function on the affected side of the body and need to adjust their dental home care routine accordingly.

Although people with gum disease do have a higher incidence of heart disease even after accounting for other factors like diabetes or risky health habits like smoking and drinking, no definite cause and effect relationship between the two has been proven.  More research is being done to figure out this relationship and determine if treating gum disease can help to improve heart health in cardiovascular patients or even help to avoid heart problems in the first place.  Until that determination is made, however, it just makes sense to recommend that people with heart disease take excellent care of their teeth and gums.  Tooth decay and gum disease are completely preventable with good daily oral hygiene which reduces inflammation in the mouth as well as the rest of the body.

Brushing at least two times a day for two minutes and flossing every day keeps your mouth healthy, may keep your heart healthy, and will probably keep you from feeling like your heart is in your mouth at your next dental hygiene visit.

This information is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition.  If you have a dental or medical problem or concern PLEASE see your dentist or doctor!  

Tooth and Mouth signs of Celiac Disease

Gluten-free diets have become a nutrition fad and gluten-free products abound, but for people with celiac disease being gluten-free is a necessity.  Diet is the only treatment for this autoimmune disease and eating even the tiniest amount of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, can cause severe illness.  If left untreated it severely damages the intestines. 

Celiac disease, which seems to be on the rise, affects about 1% of the population and is diagnosed with blood tests and biopsy.  But celiac disease is tricky because the classic symptoms, diarrhea and weight loss, are not present in everyone with the disease leading some physicians to feel it is underdiagnosed.  Some people present with constipation and bloating, others with vitamin deficiencies since the destruction of the intestines leads to poor absorption of nutrients, and some have no symptoms at all.  But there are some other classic signs of the disease and they show up in the mouth.

Children with celiac disease are often found to have poorly formed or missing enamel on the teeth resulting in cavities.  If they are diagnosed before the age of 7 and treated with gluten-free diet, the adult teeth are unaffected.  If not, the disease will also affect the enamel of the permanent teeth.  Over 80% of children with celiac disease have been found to have enamel defects of the teeth.

Adults with untreated or undiagnosed celiac disease also have problems with weak enamel, cavities and bleeding gums.  In addition they may have higher incidence of advanced periodontal disease similar to people with other types of systemic inflammatory diseases like diabetes.  Some people with celiac will develop glossitis, an inflammation of the tongue caused by vitamin deficiency, and about 40% of people with the disease have recurring ulcers of the mouth. 

Because the symptoms of celiac disease, both in the mouth and the rest of the body, are similar to other conditions, a full medical history and further testing is necessary.  But for the person with a family history as well as medical and dental problems similar to celiac, the answer to mysterious symptoms may start in the dental chair.

For more information on celiac disease please visit:   www.celiac.nih.gov/articlearchives.aspx

This blog is not intended to treat or diagnose any dental or medical condition.  Please visit your doctor or dentist if you have any medical or dental concerns.