Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
How Certain Foods and Medications Can Impact Dental Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog on dental health, I will be reviewing the foods and medications that can negatively affect our teeth and overall dental health. What can you do if you are …
Homemade Toothpaste from Invite Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Toothpaste is an interesting topic because to be frank everyone has their favorite brand. Which brand do I think is best? The one you will use! If you like strong peppermint that is great. But if …
Periodontal Disease and Gingivitis
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Both gingivitis and periodontal disease are conditions in the mouth that involve an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. But just how are these 2 conditions related? What are the symptoms you may experience? How do you even develop these conditions? And just what can you do to reduce your risk factors and even reduce any symptoms of these oral diseases? Let us get into it, shall we?
While it is normal for our mouth to contain a certain number of bacteria, they are kept in check by the body. Several factors can disrupt this balance. This can lead to gum disease. The beginning stages or mild gum disease is called gingivitis. If this is not treated the inflammation can get progressively worse and then the gum disease will worsen to severe gum disease, or periodontitis. A straightforward way to think of this is that gingivitis is stage 1 and periodontal disease is stage 2. I know what you are thinking. That is great but Dr. Claire but WHAT is gum disease? When you have gum disease there is a film of bacteria that becomes plaque that is coating the teeth. Over time this leads to gum inflammation which then goes on to eventually cause damage to the gums and even lead to tooth loss over time.
How do you know if you may have gingivitis or periodontal disease? Gingivitis will typically have less severe symptoms than periodontal disease. These symptoms include red, swollen gums, gums that bleed when you floss or brush your teeth and sometimes just randomly. Periodontal disease will have symptoms that get worse as the disease progresses. Once again there may be red, swollen, bleeding gums. Additionally, there may be sore, sensitive gums and teeth. There may be bad breath. There may also be pain when you chew. There may also be loose teeth or teeth that change positions. Lastly you may notice that the gums are pulling away from the teeth. (1) How is gum disease diagnosed? Your dentist will check your gums for signs of inflammation and use a probe to measure pockets around the teeth. Just as an aside this may be both painful and bloody. They may also suggest x-rays to check for bone loss. (2)
How do you develop gum disease, or in other words what are the risk factors? Well to start with smoking, chewing tobacco, substance use, some medication and even certain chronic diseases such as diabetes all increase your risk. Additionally, not maintaining oral hygiene for any reason can increase your risk. For example, if you have misaligned teeth, they can be hard to properly clean. If you are not able to go to a dentist for routine dental work due to a lack of accessibility this can also increase the risk of gum disease. In my experience certain mental health disorders, such as depression, can impact proper dental hygiene practices. Genetics can also increase the risk of gum disease. Stress, as well as a lack of important nutrients can increase the risk as well. Lastly hormonal changes such as pregnancy and even puberty can increase risk as well. (1)
Gum disease can have series complications. The bacteria that is associated with gum disease can enter and travel to other parts of the body. Periodontal disease is linked to respiratory disease, RA, coronary artery disease, uncontrolled blood sugar, and both preterm and low birth weight. (3) As I said in my introductory blog periodontal disease can increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. See my introductory blog on dental health for statistics on how gum disease impacts the heart.
What can you do?
Sources:
Introduction to Dental Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Dental health may not seem like a topic that would come up in an Invite health blog series but here we are talking about dental health! Dental health, or in other words oral health, does not just …
Canker Sores
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Melissa Bistricer, MS, RDN
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InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!†
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Melissa Bistricer, MS, RDN : [00:00:40] Welcome back to another podcast here at InViteⓇ Health. Some people seem to have wanted to know about oral health and how canker sores occur and if there’s anything they can do for them. A canker sore can happen for multiple different reasons. Let me tell you about why they can happen and then supplements that may be able to help with oral hygiene and canker sores.† [00:01:00]
[00:01:00] My name is Melissa Bistricer and I’m a registered dietitian. I am so excited to bring to you the nutritional aspect of nutrients here at InViteⓇ Health. Nutrition, food for thought: to eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art. InViteⓇ Health promotes an intuitive approach in providing vitamins into your daily life to increase your quality of life. In conjunction with nutrients it is also important to learn and include other lifestyle modifications like nutrition, exercise, and sleep. These practices with the use of vitamins will promote optimal benefits in your daily life.† [00:01:37]
[00:01:37] Canker sores, canker sores are a type of mouth sores, sometimes called ulcers. They are a small, shallow lesion that are developed on soft tissue of the mouth based on the gums. They are not contagious and are generally irritating and very painful. Canker sores can be caused by stress, acidic foods and minor injuries to the inside of the mouth. Most canker sores are round or oval with white or yellow in the center and a red rim around that. It is the inside of the mouth that is generally under the tongue, inside the cheek or lips at the base of the gums. There are actually several types of canker sores, such as a minor, major and herpetiform canker sores. The cause of a canker sore is unknown and unclear. Some research has suggested that triggers for canker sores can be minor injuries like dental work, sports mishaps or accidental cheek biting. It can also be caused by toothpaste and mouthwash containing sodium sulfate, food sensitivities and a diet lacking in vitamin B12, zinc, folate and iron. There are also triggers such as allergic responses to certain bacteria in the mouth, H. Pylori and emotional stress. There can also be cases where canker sores are more common to occur specifically in disease conditions. These disease conditions can be celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or an immune system attached to the cells, and lastly, HIV and AIDS. † [00:03:07]
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[00:03:09] Risk factors can be for periodontal diseases such as smoking, older age, especially over the age of 65 and female gender. So how can we limit and get rid of canker sores? The first way that I would recommend is, that I’ve seen really work is to get rid of the canker sores quickly is using salt water or baking soda in lukewarm water, just swish that in your mouth and spit it out the water. Do that every night till you start to see the canker sore going away and you’re starting to feel better. Prevention is a very big component. You want to try to limit the occurrence by watching what you eat. Trying to avoid foods that may irritate the mouth like nuts, chips, pretzels, spicy foods, or acidic foods. You want to focus on eating healthy foods to prevent the deficiencies. You want to try and eat as much fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. We should also try to practice good oral hygiene. This means brushing our teeth after meals and flossing once a day. To keep the mouth clean of foods that might trigger the sore. We need to also reduce stress. Canker sores are related to stress, so learning how to reduce stress by using techniques like meditation or a natural supplement like L-Theanine or 5-HTP.† [00:04:22]
[00:04:24] Diet and lifestyle are two things to take into consideration to limit and reduce canker sores on a regular basis, it is best to consume a diet lower in sugar, processed starches and soda. You want to increase your vegetables, fruit and whole grain intake, and especially calcium from dairy products to lower the risk of periodontal disease. A probiotic supplement or probiotic foods may help your gums and prevent bleeding. Specifically, acidophilus, which does not only have to be in a supplement pill form, it actually is naturally found in yogurt. The connection to a probiotic and the canker sore is to help stimulate the immune system to help the sore heal. CoQ10 has also been studied in a randomized controlled trial for patients with periodontal disease that underwent a root canaling. And they seem to have a significant reduction in gum inflammation while taking CoQ10 than the placebo group. Fish oil has also been seen to help periodontal disease, to help lower inflammation from omega three fatty acids. The fish oil has been also associated with heart health, type two diabetes, and autoimmune disease. Lycopene has also been clinically trailed to help with periodontal issues as well. The individual who took lycopene orally has been has seen a more, has seen a better effect than those in the placebo group. Lysine has been shown to help shorten the duration of a canker sore. † [00:05:53]
[00:05:54] Lysine is an amino acid, you can get it as a supplement form. Lysine considerably shortens the duration of the canker sore if you feel a canker sore coming on within the one week period, start taking a thousand milligrams of lysine every single day and you will definitely see the benefits of reducing the duration of the canker sore. So, what vitamins are lacking if you get a canker sore? In recent studies, it has been shown that canker sores have been caused by triggers or a lack of vitamins or nutrients that can be from folic acid, zinc, or iron. Deficiencies of calcium were also noted. However, calcium deficiency wasn’t clearly linked to aggravate the situation. Healthy eating again can certainly aid in the fight against canker sores. † [00:06:42]
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[00:06:43] So, getting exposure can definitely look like this. To help reduce the painful canker sores in your mouth. You want to try and avoid foods with acid or anything that is spicy to not irritate the sore further. You want to use salt water baking soda with lukewarm water for about a week to help shrink the canker sore. You want to practice good oral hygiene with brushing your teeth and flossing one time a day. You want to consume a lot of fruits and vegetables and whole grains to eliminate the sugary foods in your diet, such as soda and processed foods. You want to make sure you’re hitting the categories of fruits, vegetables and whole grains to prevent any deficiencies from folate, zinc, iron, and B12. Which may have caused the canker sore to come.† [00:07:27]
[00:07:28] In terms of supplements, you can use lysine to prevent and help heal the canker sore. There may be some benefits in taking a comprehensive multivitamin to eliminate the chance of deficiencies. As well as that may be impacting on your oral health. You can also try and take probiotics or eat probiotic food. So you can check out our lysine and multivitamins that are sold at invitehealth.com. Check it out and if you have any further questions, you can always chat with me as a nutritionist or any of our health care providers to assist you at invitehealth.com or email me at [email protected]. I am Melissa Bistricer, RDN, ready to share the knowledge to help you modify your lifestyle to live a happier, more successful life. I am looking forward to continuing to provide you with educational podcasts and blog posts. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Again nutrition food for thought: To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art. Have a great day and tune in for the next podcast coming your way soon. † [00:07:28]
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