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Dental
Disease
By
J. K. Tukra
A century ago, Americans expected to lose their teeth by middle
age.Now, of course, dentures and old age don't have to be
synonymous. With declines in tooth decay since the 1970s and
an emphasis on prevention, fewer people are toothless today
than a generation ago -- 30 percent of adults 65 or older
compared with 46 percent 20 years ago, according to the U.S.
Surgeon General's report on oral health in America.
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Periodontal disease, commonly called gum disease,
is the main cause of tooth loss in adults after age 35. It is
an insidious bacterial infection of the gum and the bone, which
holds teeth in place. Growing evidence shows that a healthy
mouth should be much more than a cosmetic concern. Bacteria
in the mouth and the byproducts of the infection they cause
can travel into the bloodstream to other parts of the body.
An analysis of research data published in the Journal of Periodontology
in 1998 revealed that far from just being an oral health problem,
periodontal infection may contribute to the development of heart
disease, increase the risk of premature, underweight births
and pose a threat to people whose health already is compromised
due to diabetes and respiratory diseases.
There is a two-way street between periodontal disease and diabetes.
"Diabetics are much more likely to have advanced periodontal
disease when they don't have their blood sugar under control.
And diabetics with periodontal disease have a harder time controlling
their blood sugar level. Osteoporosis, a bone disorder found
chiefly in postmenopausal women, also is a factor. Women with
untreated osteoporosis tend to have less resistance to periodontal
disease and experience more bone and tooth loss, Bueltmann said.
The mouth, a moist, dark orifice, teems with bacteria, but it
causes no problem until the bacteria start to colonize and form
dental plaque, a sticky colorless film that constantly forms
on the teeth. It's the plaque that causes tooth decay and gum
disease. The bacteria in the mouth need a minimum of 24 to 48
hours to colonize in enough numbers that they start to produce
the acid and enzyme systems that destroy the hardest part of
the body; tooth enamel, and/or gums. To keep teeth and gums
healthy, those colonies have to be disrupted. It is like a swarm
of bees in your back yard that cannot sting you until they build
a hive. It takes them 24 hours to build a hive, so go out there
every 23 hours or every 12 hours, swing a stick to scatter them
so they cannot build their hive to cause you damage.
The recommended artillery is a soft- bristled toothbrush and
dental floss. Flossing between the teeth at least once a day
and a thorough brushing two to three times a day scatter the
bacteria so they cannot build dental plaque. The mildest form
of gum disease is gingivitis, marked by gums that redden, swell
and bleed easily. There usually is little or no discomfort.
It's reversible with professional treatment and proper brushing
and flossing. Untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis,
in which the plaque forces the gum to detach from the tooth,
forming pockets that become infected. When the pockets deepen,
more gum tissue and bone are destroyed. General dentists often
treat mild cases of gum disease, but severe cases are referred
to a periodontist. First you get after the causative factors,
the bacterial plaque, by good home care and by removing the
tartar (hard deposits on the teeth) where it's irritating the
gums and also causing more inflammation and infection. As you
lose bone around the teeth, these hard deposits start to creep
down into the pocket that forms around the teeth, the pocket
becomes deeper and much harder to clean.
A periodontist will clean around the teeth using a meticulous,
delicate process called hand scaling and root planing that can
require up to an hour for each quarter of the mouth. The patients
are advised to stop smoking and eat well.
Thumbs
Up
Wouldn’t
it be great if you could grow your own body
parts? Well, an experiment-begun three years
ago to do just that has proved a resounding
success. After a Massachusetts machinist lost
part of his thumb in an industrial accident,
bone cells were taken from his forearm, placed
on a thumb-shaped scaffolding made of coral
and implanted on the digit. Now the coral is
dissolving, new bone tissues is growing and
the patient is able to write, grasp and otherwise
carry on with normal activities.
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Pushing
The Envelope
Want
to live longer? Julia Roberts and Benicio Del
Toro may be on to something. A Canadian study
of ever actor ever considered for an Oscar shows
that winning the golden guy, as opposed to just
being nominated for one, increases life expectancy
nearly four years. What’s the lesson? Being
at the top of your game is not merely gratifying,
it’s healthy. Just ask Katharine Hepburn.
The most of Oscar, winning actress of all time
(four in all) last month celebrated her 94th
birthday.
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