Oral Hygiene & Your Health

I haven't posted two days in a row in a while, but I learned a whole bunch of neat things from my awesome new dentist today that I thought I'd share with you.

• A mouth with a low pH (aka. a more alkaline mouth) decreases your chances of getting cavities, so stick with those raw fruits and veggies
• As I recently mentioned, dried fruits kind of play the opposite role as they are of the perfect sticky yumminess for cavity gremlins to feed of off
• Starches as well as sugar creates acid when in contact with plaque, which results in tooth decay (so yesterday's post about sugar and starch sensitivities might not that be far off!)
• Gum sensitivity doesn't necessarily mean your oral hygiene is off, but can indicate that you have hormonal imbalances (who'da thunk?)
• Your mouth can give away how flexible you are. True story. After looking at my file (jaw measurements, how much I can open and close, etc.) my dentist asked if I was crazy flexible, which I am... weird.
• Grinding your teeth in your sleep can allow you to use force of about 500 pounds per square inch to wear away at your teeth! That is not a good thing, and has caused my gums to become absurdly sensitive! (to put it in perspective, the average dog has a bite of about 450 per square inch!)
• Nutritional deficiencies and diseases often first show signs through oral symptoms that we might be ignoring or taking for granted.
• When you find out your dentist has a blender in his office to make organic protein shakes for himself and his staff between appointments, you know that office is a keeper.
• Ignoring dental and gum-related problems can transfer to the rest of your body and affect major organs, including your heart, so take care of those teeth!
• Xylitol (rather than the toxic fluoride) is great substance to prevent cavities and lower tooth decay. I'd heard this from a natural dental technician when we first moved to Ottawa, which was one of the reasons I started chewing Spry Peppermint Gum a couple times a week. (Don't over chew gum because then you over stress your jaw muscles.) Otherwise, you can find xylitol-based toothpastes through natural brands like Green Beaver, Jason, or Tom's.
• Because digestion begins in your mouth, ignoring oral hygiene can lead to digestive issues all the way down your GI track.
• The inside of mouth's are icky. (okay, they didn't tell me that, but they showed me a lot of these things by asking me to hold a mirror up, and up close and personal, it ain't that pretty... even if your teeth are healthy).

Did you know all those things? I certainly didn't! If anything, they've really convinced me to keep my teeth clean. It's served me well until know! In fact, I met and bonded with one of my best friends in university because we would both always brush our teeth while wandering our dorm hallways!

Weekend is almost here! Hang in there, all you worker types :)