gilut - the body

8/10/2019 Gilut - The Body

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The Relationship of Oral Health to Overall Health and

Longevity

by Tom McGuire, D.D.S.

The terms oral health and general health should not be interpreted as separateentities. Oral health is integral to general health: oral health means more thanhealthy teeth and you cannot be healthy without oral health,

Donna Shalala, Secretary o! "ealth and "uman Ser#ices in Oral "ealth$merica: $ %eport o! the Surgeon General, &'''.( couldn)t thin* o! a better way to begin this boo*let than to underscore the e!!ecto! oral health on o#erall health. +ut ust how does her statement about oral health

correlate to health and longe#ity- (t does because healthy people li#e longer andthe uality o! their li#es is !ar superior. There are a number o! commonly *nown!actors related to the study o! health and longe#ity that almost e#eryone willrecogni/e. Some o! the more common !actors include:

0. "ealthy diet1&. (ntelligent nutritional supplementation12. "ealthy li!estyle13. 4limination o! harm!ul substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs15. Stress reduction16. 47ercise1 and

8. $ healthy emotional and mental li!e.4#ery proponent o! optimal health understands the relationship between these!actors and health and longe#ity1 without a doubt, they are all important."owe#er, ( suggest that there is another !actor missing !rom this list, one that also

plays an o#erloo*ed but signi!icant role in o#erall health. This !actor is dentaldisease and its harm!ul e!!ect on the health o! the body.9ith that in mind, this boo*let will !ocus on: "ow dental ;oral disease, amalgam !illings, and dental materials can a!!ect one)so#erall health1

9hy these issues are so important in regard to health and longe#ity1 and "ow physicians and other health pro!essionals can help their clients recogni/ethe importance o! this issue.


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Background

$ number o! oral health issues can negati#ely a!!ect general health. $ll but one o!the oral health problems listed below are the direct result o! dental disease, in one!orm or another. These oral health issues can be di#ided into two distinct, but

o#erlapping categories.0. Dental;Oral disease. The most important o! these in regard to their impact ongeneral health are: a. =eriodontal >gum? disease1 b. (n!ected root canals1 c. @a#itations >in!ected e7traction sites?1 and d. Other diseases o! the oral ca#ity, such as oral cancer.&. $malgam !illings, !luoride, and nonAcompatible dental materials

All of these dental/oral issues can affect your general health and, ultimately,longevity. Their impact is determined y the seriousness of the related oral

health prolem!s", its duration, and ho# many of the aove dental issues are

active at the same time. Thus, some individuals may e dealing only #ith

prolems related to gum infections or amalgam fillings, some #ith oth

prolems, ut there #ill e a significant numer of people #hose health is

compromised y all of these dental issues.

+e!ore ( enter into the substanti#e area o! this boo*let, ( !eel it will be use!ul topro#ide some bac*ground in!ormation about dental disease and o!!er someinsights into why it)s role in o#erall health is o!ten been o#erloo*ed.

Dental Disease9hat is commonly re!erred to as dental disease is actually two separate diseases:tooth decay and gum disease. due toa lac* o! patient education and;or moti#ation? other !actors are in#ol#ed. Diet,smo*ing, #itamin de!iciency, and to7ic substances such as mercury can alsocontribute to dental disease. O! the two diseases, gum disease, especially in itsmost ad#anced !orm, is the most harm!ul to general health.@ertainly, tooth decay can a!!ect one)s health. (t can pre#ent proper chewing andthereby a!!ect digestion. (t can also cause tooth loss, again a!!ecting digestion.@learly, it can contribute to systemic health problems, but its e!!ects on o#erallhealth are considerably less than the e!!ects o! gum disease.


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your body?. (! any competent health pro!essional saw this amount o! in!ection inany part o! the body he or she would consider this to be a #ery serious in!ectionand suggest immediate treatment. underlying cause? o! dental disease and its damaging e!!ects. The!ollowing section will pro#ide documentation that conclusi#ely lin*s dentaldisease to other serious and li!eAthreatening diseases.

1ardiovascular (isease

Heart Attack

@oronary heart disease results when arteries are narrowed or bloc*ed by plaue.=laue usually consists o! cholesterol, blood clotting proteins, calcium and othersubstances. This narrowing is o!ten re!erred to as atherosclerosis. 9hen this ta*es

place in the arteries leading to and around the heart, the result is coronary heartdisease. O#er time, the blood supply to the heart muscle can be se#erely reducedor bloc*ed, depri#ing the heart o! the o7ygen it needs, resulting in a heart attac*.+asically, coronary heart disease precedes a heart attac* and anything that

contributes to it could contribute to a heart attac*. 9hat is signi!icant here is that anumber o! studies directly lin* gum disease to coronary heart disease and heartattac*.

(n one study, researchers !ound a relationship between dental disease and the ris*o! dying. The study is noteworthy !or a number o! reasons. (t was conducted in thenited States and included I,86' subects, ma*ing the study >at that time? thelargest o! its *ind. (n addition, se#eral important disco#eries resulted !rom thisstudy.The study concluded that those with periodontitis >the more ad#anced !orm o!

gum disease? had a &5C increased ris* o! coronary heart disease compared to


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those with minimal periodontal disease. (t is interesting to note that in this study,decay >dental caries? was not obser#ed to be a !actor in coronary heart disease. (nmen under 5', periodontal disease was an e#en stronger ris* !actor in coronaryheart disease. (n this group, men with periodontitis had nearly twice the ris* o!

coronary heart disease than men who had little or no periodontal disease. (n thetotal population >men and women o! all ages? the degree o! dental debris >dental

plaue? and calculus >tartar?, as re!lected in the oral hygiene inde7, was a strongerris* !actor !or coronary heart disease than was the se#erity o! periodontal disease.

(n regard to longe#ity, the most noteworthy !inding was that periodontal diseaseand poor oral hygiene were stronger indicators o! premature death than o!coronary heart disease. the less se#ere !orm o! periodontal disease? had an appro7imately &2Chigher ris* o! premature death. Those with periodontitis, or no teeth, had about a5'C higher ris* o! dying. From a health standpoint, these !indings could besigni!icant because gingi#itis is !ar more common than the more se#ere !orm o!the disease. +ut le!t unAtreated, gingi#itis will uic*ly lead to the more se#ere!orm o! gum disease.Another 3tudy

$nother study, J. K. Matilla e7plored the relationship between oral health andheart attac*. (t also e7amined the role o! chronic bacterial in!ections as ris* !actors!or coronary heart disease and the association between poor dental health andacute myocardial in!arction >heart attac*?. The selected patients had worse dentalhealth than controls matched !or age and se7. The study showed that therelationship between dental health and heart attac* remained signi!icant e#en a!teradustment !or age, social class, hypertension, serum lipid and lipoproteinconcentrations, smo*ing, presence o! diabetes, and serum @ peptide concentration>which re!lects resistance to insulin?.

The study concluded that bacterial endoto7in or similar !actors may be related tomyocardial in!arction and poor dental health and could not be e7cluded ascausati#e !actors.Heart Attack and Tooth Loss

$ study by J. =aunio showed a relationship between missing teeth and coronaryheart disease. ( !ind this signi!icant because both periodontal disease and decaycan cause tooth loss. 9hile some studies ha#e shown that decay is not a direct ris*!actor in heart attac*, it can and does cause tooth loss, which has beendemonstrated to be a secondary !actor in heart attac*.


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resumption o! bloodA!low. The study concludes that the association betweendisease related to diabetes and se#ere periodontitis in diabetic indi#iduals reuiresattention and close cooperation between the physician and dentist.

Se#eral other studies reported by Mealy state that treating periodontalcomplications implicated in diabetes may actually impro#e metabolic control o!the underlying diabetic disease state.These studies are important !or at least two reasons. First, periodontal disease has

been shown to a!!ect the control o! diabetes. Second, the $merican "eart$ssociation now includes diabetes as a maor ris* !actor !or heart disease, ran*ingit with high blood pressure and smo*ing. Thus, we witness an un!ortunateconnection: diabetes is on the rise1 it is a ris* !actor !or heart disease1 and

periodontal disease is a ris* !actor in both.

Lo# 2re&term Birth 5eightThe health and !inancial problems associated with low preAterm birth weight

babies >weighing less than &,5''g at birth? are signi!icant. One study illustratedthat these in!ants are 3' times more li*ely to die in the neonatal period thannormal birth weight in!ants. $t birth, appro7imately 8C o! all babies are in thelow birth weight category, yet these babies account !or twoAthirds o! all neonataldeaths.(n another signi!icant study by O!!enbacher, et al, researchers !ound that low birthweight is still the number one cause o! in!ant mortality. (t also causes many longAterm health problems, including an increased ris* o! cerebral palsy, epilepsy,chronic lung disease, learning disabilities and attention de!icit disorder. The cost,

both !inancially and emotionally, o! low preterm birth weight babies istremendous. (n the nited States, 0 in 0' births are low birth weight babies. Theyaccount !or 5 million neonatal intensi#e care unit hospital days per year at anannual cost o! more than 5 billion. The o#erall cost in terms o! su!!ering andlongAterm disabilities !ar e7ceeds the monetary costs o! this problem.The authors o! this brea*through study ha#e pro#ided new e#idence that

periodontal disease in pregnant women may be a signi!icant ris* !actor !or lowbirth preterm weight. The study suggests that 0NC o! all preAterm low birth weight

cases may be attributable to periodontal disease. (t also notes that gum diseaserepresents a pre#iously unrecogni/ed and clinically important ris* !actor !or preAterm low birth weight babies.Respiratory $nfections

Mealy)s e#aluation o! a number o! studies on respiratory in!ections suggests thatthe oral ca#ity acts as a reser#oir !or bacteria that can !ind its way into the lungs.These studies indicate that mouth and throat bacterial coloni/ation precedes

bacterial respiratory in!ection. 9hile no current studies speci!ically demonstrate adirect correlation, there is strong e#idence that one e7ists.

There is also e#idence that the gum poc*et may be the source o! the respiratory


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bacteria. $ number o! bacterial organisms belie#ed to be common in in!ected gumpoc*ets ha#e been !ound in bacterial pneumonia. (n one study, researchers isolateda number o! bacterial species !rom a case report o! pneumonia. pon clinicale7amination, the author)s only signi!icant !inding was mar*ed periodontitis,

indicating that the bacteria originated in the gum poc*et.$nother important study !ound that the substances that initiate respiratoryin!ections most o!ten originate !rom the periodontal poc*et. The study showedthat these organisms can produce respiratory diseases, such as pulmonaryabscesses, resulting in a signi!icant disease and e#en death.

Osteoporosis

%esearchers at the ni#ersity o! +u!!alo, led by Kean 9actaws*iA9ende, reportedthat most people diagnosed with periodontal disease may be at a higher ris* o!underlying osteoporosis. This study, conducted in 0II5 and published in the

Kournal o! =eriodontology, is the !irst largeAscale assessment o! the relationshipbetween bone metabolism and oral health. The authors reported that i! therelationship remains strong in !urther studies, it is possible that a routine dental Aray could be used to screen !or bone loss. (n addition, dentists could pro#ideeducation and treatment !or gum disease that could combat oral bone and toothloss and possibly reduce the e7tent o! osteporosis.This landmar* study is important because both osteoporosis and periodontaldisease are serious public health concerns !or tens o! millions o! Borth $mericans.Osteoporosis a!!ects more than &' million people in the .S. and accounts !ornearly & million !ractures a year.6astrointestinal (isorders

To date, the most signi!icant relationship between dental disease andgastrointestinal disorders is !rom tooth loss. The edentulous >without teeth?

patient, is the most #ulnerable to gastrointestinal and other related problems.

"owe#er, one study showed that those with dentures are also subect to numeroushealth problems, directly related to their inability to properly chew their !ood.This study concluded that most o! the subects showed a low chewing>masticatory? per!ormance classi!ication. These subects too* more medication !or

gastrointestinal disorders than those with a higher chewing per!ormance. =oorchewing was also associated with a decrease in #itamin $ and !iber inta*e, whichwas mainly the result o! lower inta*es o! !ruits and #egetables. This conditionseemed more li*ely to a!!ect women in the study. (n the edentulous person, with ade!icient chewing per!ormance, reduced consumption o! !iberArich !oods that arehard to chew could pro#o*e gastrointestinal disturbances and a!!ect o#erall health.%esearch indicates that changes in !ood pre!erences and subseuentnutrient;#itamin de!iciencies are associated with tooth loss. One study pro#ided asound basis !or why the denture wearer does not achie#e the necessary brea*downo! !ood substances. The research indicated that the chewing e!!iciency o! those

wearing dentures was about oneAsi7th that o! a person with natural teeth. (n


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addition, e#idence suggests that nutritional de!iciencies, regardless o! their cause,are associated with impaired immune responses. One ob#ious conclusion is that a

person with dentures would need to chew his or her !ood 6 times as long as aperson with natural teeth.

(n another important study, researchers collected dietary inta*e data about the!ood and nutrient inta*e o! 3I,5'0 male health pro!essionals. The results showedthat toothless participants consumed !ewer #egetables and less !iber and carotene,and had higher cholesterol, saturated !at, and calories than participants with &5 ormore teeth. They concluded that these !actors could increase the ris*s o! cancerand cardio#ascular disease.( would again li*e to point out that the #ast maority o! tooth loss is caused bydental disease, either decay or periodontal disease. (t is true that once the teethha#e been remo#ed, periodontal disease, and its resultant in!ection, will be

eliminated. +ut as the abo#e studies point out, the problems !acing edentulousindi#iduals do not end with the elimination o! periodontal in!ection. (n !act, they!ace an entirely new set o! health problems.$mmune 3ystem

"ealth pro!essionals understand that in!ection stresses the immune system. (t isalso ob#ious that the more serious the in!ection and the longer it persists, the morethe immune system is a!!ected. $t some point, the immune system can become socompromised that its ability to resist additional in!ections and diseases could beseriously diminished. This wea*ness could put the #arious body systems at ris*and create a domino e!!ect in regard to diseases and in!ections.

9e also *now that when the immune system is compromised any health problemdirectly or indirectly related to it will be negati#ely a!!ected. (t is ob#ious thatdental in!ections, especially periodontal disease, periapical abscesses andca#itations, ha#e a deleterious a!!ect on the immune system and would eopardi/ethe success!ul treatment o! any medical treatment !or any immune related disease.3ource of $nformation

Space does not allow me the option o! adeuately co#ering the cause o! and thepre#ention o! dental disease. There is much more to learn about this subect i! you

hope to !ree yoursel! !rom this disease, including how to use your pre#enti#edental tools and how to e!!ecti#ely utili/e the dentist and dental hygienist tosupport your e!!orts. The in!ormation you need to accomplish your goals can be!ound in Tooth Fitness:


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and se#erity o! other, more serious diseases. They are:0. Fillings >amalgam;sil#er amalgam? containing mercury1&. Failed root canals1

2. (n!ected e7traction sites >ca#itations?13. Signs and symptoms o! other diseases1 and5. Sensiti#ity to dental materials.$malgam Fillings and the Mercury (ssueMercury is the most to7ic, naturally occurring metal on this planet. (t is a potent

poison, more to7ic than arsenic, and e#en one molecule in the body will do itharm. %esearch indicates that e#en minute le#els o! mercury can ha#e negati#ehealth conseuences, which can #ary !rom person to person depending on anumber o! !actors. +ecause o! its e7treme to7icity, there is no doubt in my mindthat mercury can cause, contribute, or ma*e worse e#ery health problem we !ace.

Symptoms o! mercury poisoning can range !rom mild to se#ere, and it can be !atalin acute doses.

There are a number o! ways we can be e7posed to mercury, but amalgam !illingsare the greatest source o! mercury e7posure !or those with these !illings. 9hileacute mercury poisoning is rare, e#ery person with amalgam !illings is beingsubected to chronic mercury poisoning, to one degree or another.

4ach mediumAsi/ed amalgam !illing contains about 5'C elemental mercury, orabout 0,''' milligrams o! mercury. Bumerous studies ha#e pro#en that mercury#apor is released !rom amalgam !illings. p to N'C o! that #apor is absorbed bythe lungs and passes into the blood. PFrom there it is transported throughout the

body, including the brain and central ner#ous system.

9hen mercury !rom amalgam !illings >or other hea#y metals? enter the body andaccumulate !aster than the body can remo#e them, they will gradually build upuntil early symptoms o! chronic mercury poisoning are e7pressed. (n the !illing,mercury is in its elemental state. "owe#er, when elemental mercury is released!rom the !illing, bacteria can change it in the mouth and intestine to an e#en moreto7ic >0'' times as to7ic? !orm o! organic mercury, called methyl mercury.

To7ic le#els o! mercury are measured in micrograms. This is an e7tremely smallamount. For e7ample, one microgram is eual to oneAmillionth o! a gram >&N.3grams euals 0 ounce?. Depending on the number o! amalgam !illings present,measurements o! mercury #apor in the mouth can range !rom between &' and3''mcg;m2 >microgram o! mercury per cubic meter o! air? or more. The 9orld"ealth Organi/ation >9"O? has recogni/ed a timeAweighted a#erage >T9$? !oroccupational e7posure to mercury #apor at &5 mcg;m2. (! set higher it belie#esthat those indi#iduals most sensiti#e to mercury to7icity are the young, the elderly,the !etus and nursing baby.

The $gency !or To7ic Substances and Disease %egistry >$TSD%? ta*es the most

prudent and realistic approach to mercury #apor e7posure. $!ter a lengthy study it


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established a minimal ris* le#el >M%H? o! '.& mcg;m2 o! air. $ccording to theagency, this is the upper limit to which a person can be continuously e7posed towithout e7hibiting any obser#able e!!ects. This ma*es the most sense becauseanyone with amalgam !illings is being e7posed to #arying amounts o! mercury

#apor &3 hours a day, 265 days a year. $s you can readily see, in many peoplewith amalgam !illings the amount o! mercury they are being e7posed to daily cane7ceed the sa!e le#els established by many regulatory agencies.Mercury is classi!ied as a neuroto7in and the to7icity o! mercury is undisputed.@hronic mercury poisoning can impair the blood and cardio#ascular system. (t cancause genetic mutations and can inter!ere with, or o#erload, the naturaldeto7i!ication pathways o! the li#er, *idneys, s*in, and bowel. (t can impair the!unction o! the ner#ous, endocrine, en/ymatic, gastrointestinal, reproducti#e, andurinary systems. (t can increase allergic reactions and act as a harm!ul antibiotic,*illing both good and harm!ul bacteria in the gut. Mercury can also cause a great

deal o! tissue damage by creating an abundance o! !ree radicals, suspected to beone o! the underlying causes o! all degenerati#e diseases.One study indicated that mercury can inter!ere with leu*ocytes. (t also showedhow it could not only compromise the body)s natural de!enses, but also promotetissue inury #ia the local production o! o7ygen !ree radicals. $nother studydemonstrated that mercury can inacti#ate neutrophils. These important immunesystem components are responsible !or *illing !ungi inside the body >blood andso!t tissue?. Mercury to7icity was also shown to inhibit their ability to *ill@andida.

+ut mercury can also ha#e de#astating secondary e!!ects on the body by depletingit o! the important antio7idants the body needs to not only remo#e mercury andother hea#y metals, but to !ight !ree radicals and other to7ins. This happens

because each atom o! mercury that is remo#ed !rom the body reuires an escort o!0 to & molecules o! glutathione >the body)s most abundant and importantantio7idant !or remo#ing mercury and other hea#y metals?. $s you can see, o#ertime, more and more glutathione is lost, creating a de!iciency o! it and an increasein mercury being stored in the body. This indirect, or secondary, e!!ect o! mercuryis de#astating to the immune system and can seriously reduce the body)s ability todeal with other diseases.


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SourcesThere are many sources o! mercury e7posure, including !ood >mostly mercurycontaminated !ish?, air, water, cosmetics, medications, and industrial occupations.

"owe#er, according to the 9orld "ealth Organi/ation, the single biggestcontributor o! mercury to the body is amalgam !illings.Symptoms$ wide #ariety o! symptoms are related to mercury to7icity. +ecause mercury can

be stored in #irtually e#ery cell, organ, and tissue >particularly the brain, *idneys,and central ner#ous system? o! the body, its range o! symptoms are #ast. O!course, other health issues could contribute to these symptoms, or e#en causethem1 clearly, no single symptom is speci!ic to mercury poisoning. +ut it is alsoimportant to reali/e that mercury related symptoms are directly proportionate tothe number o! !illings you ha#e and the length o! time they ha#e been in the teeth.

$lthough this is a long list, ( !eel it important to include it here. see Figure 0? when determining whether or not you may ha#emercury related symptoms. >The symptoms listed are those commonly related tothe direct e!!ects o! chronic mercury poisoning. +ecause o! its secondary e!!ectsthis list could be much longer.?

Figure 0.0. Beurological;mentala. Slurred speech

b. Memory lossc. Hearning disordersd. Hac* o! concentratione. Fine tremor&. "earta. %apid heart rate

b. (rregular heartbeatc. =ain in chest2. "ead $rea

a. Di//inessb. %inging in earsc. Faintnessd. (nsomnia3. 4nergy He#elsa. @hronic tiredness

b. $pathyc. %estlessness5. 4motions

a. Mood swings


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b. Fits o! ragec. Fear and ner#ousnessd. $n7ietye. Depression

!. $ggressi#enessg. @on!usion6. Digesti#e Systema. Hoss o! appetite

b. Diarrhea;constipationc. Hoss o! weightd. Bausea;#omitinge. @ramping8. Oral;throat

a. @hronic coughingb. +leeding gumsc. +one lossd. Metallic tastee. (n!lammation o! the gums!. +ad +reathg. lcers o! oral ca#ityh. Mouth in!lammationi. Sore throatN. Muscles Q Kointsa. Muscle aches

b. Koint achesc. Sti!!nessI. Bosea. (n!lammation o! the nose

b. Sinusitisc. 47cessi#e mucus !ormationd. Stu!!y nosee. Freuent illnesses

!. Sense o! smell lossg. Genital dischargeh. nspeci!ied allergiesi. 47cessi#e perspiration

. $nemia*. Jidney diseasel. @andida0'. Othera. "air loss

b. 9ater retention

c. ision problems


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d. S*in problems00. Hungsa. $sthma;bronchitis

b. Shortness o! breathc. @hest congestiond. Shallow respiration$malgam @ontro#ersyThe contro#ersy about dental amalgams that you may ha#e heard about hasabsolutely nothing to do with the to7icity o! mercury1 rather, it is about whether ornot mercury is released !rom an amalgam !illing in uantities great enough tocause health problems. (t is scienti!ically *nown that any amount o! mercury inthe body will cause harm and the more that is present the more harm will becaused. 9e also *now without a doubt that mercury is released !rom amalgam

!illings. (n spite o! that !act, the $D$ continues to say that no one with these!illings need worry because not enough is released to cause any health problems1e7cept those who are allergic to mercury.

They are as wrong today as they were 05' years ago. (n a maority o! those withamalgam !illings, it is impossible !or the body to remo#e all o! the mercury it ise7posed to !rom them and other sources o! mercury. That which cannot beremo#ed accumulates in the body and o#er time it can cause innumerable health

problems to tens o! millions o! people. This boo*let does not allow me the spaceto e7plain the many #ariables that play a role in determining the numerous longAterm e!!ects o! the mercury released !rom amalgam !illings. +ut it should pro#ideenough in!ormation !or you to ac*nowledge that mercury could be a maor !actorin nearly e#ery health problem we *now o!. (! you would li*e to e7plore thissubect in more detail, ( suggest you read $ Mouth Full o! =oison: The Truthabout Mercury $malgam Fillings and


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%oot @analsThe idea that a root canal can cause health problems is not new. (n the 0I2's and3's, Dr. 9eston =rice dealt with this subect in two classic boo*s, Dental(n!ectionsAOral and Systemic, olume (, and Dental (n!ections and the

Degenerati#e Diseases. The subect o! root canals and their relation to generalhealth is also thoroughly e7amined in Dr. George Meining)s boo*, %oot @anal@o#erAup.

This concept is called the !ocal in!ection theory. (t is based on the !act thattraditional root canal therapy cannot guarantee that the tooth)s root canal, and thethousands o! tubules that radiate out !rom the canal, can always be e!!ecti#elysterili/ed by root canal treatment. The theory proposes that an in!ection e7isting inone part o! the body >in this case the root canal and chamber? can be trans!erred,#ia the circulatory system, to other parts o! the body, where they can initiate anentirely new in!ection. (t is belie#ed that such an in!ection, resulting !rom an

in!ected root canal, can migrate and in!ect the *idneys, the heart, intestines, andother sites. Some researchers claim that health problems resulting !rom root canalsran* in se#erity right behind mercury;amalgam !illings.

(n 0IIN, appro7imately 6' million root canals were per!ormed. 9hile ( do notbelie#e that e#ery root canal will be a source o! !ocal in!ection, ( do belie#e itmust be considered when attempting to diagnose an illness or symptom. The rootcanals that ( consider to be at ris* are those whose in!ection has spread to the bonesurrounding the root tip. Hoo*ing to the mouth as a source o! chronic in!ection isespecially important when the source o! a health problem is elusi#e or an accuratediagnosis that !its the symptoms cannot be made.@a#itations@a#itation is a relati#ely new dental term. (t re!ers to the destruction o! bone inthe area where a tooth has been e7tracted. One o! the most common problems thatcan result !rom a ca#itation is a neuralgia inducing ca#itational osteonecrosis>B(@O?. $ccording to e7perts, i! the tooth is not remo#ed properly, incompletehealing can ta*e place, lea#ing a hole or spongy place inside the awbone. (n somecases, particles o! the periodontal membrane, along with bacteria, can be le!t

behind, becoming a breeding ground !or bacteria and their to7ins. Studies indicatethat the bacterial waste products can be e7tremely potent. @a#itations are also

belie#ed to contribute to !ocal in!ections. They can ha#e an impact on systemichealth and could cause #arious le#els o! stress.

Signs and Symptoms o! Other DiseasesDiseases whose early signs and symptoms appear in the mouth can a!!ect the

patient)s health and li!e e7pectancy. O! these, oral cancer is o! primary concern.More than 2',''' people are diagnosed with oral cancer each year. (! the cancer iscaught early, the !i#eAyear sur#i#al rate is I'C. (! it isn)t caught early, the sur#i#alrate drops to 5'C. 9hile most dentists include this in their oral e7amination youcannot a!!ord to ta*e it !or granted. $lways remind the dentist or hygienist toinclude this e7amination.


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There are as many as &5 diseases o! the body whose early signs and symptoms canbe seen in the oral ca#ity. The early detection o! any o! these diseases increasesthe possibility o! success!ul treatment, and may e7tend or e#en sa#e li#es. Someo! the more serious diseases that !irst show signs in the oral ca#ity, lips, or tongue,

include leu*emia, hemophilia, Japosi)s sarcoma, malignant melanoma, syphilis,diabetes, suamous cell carcinoma, myoblastoma, tuberculosis, epilepsy, andhemangioma. My boo*, Tooth Fitness:


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protection against ingestion. There ha#e been documented cases o! !luorideto7icity when #ery young children swallowed an e7cessi#e amount o! topical!luoride gel.

(diopathic Diseases( pre#iously mentioned the relationship o! oral health to diseases that areidiopathic, or those we don)t *now, or are uncertain, o! their cause.

(n a #ery real sense the idiopathic >un*nown? aspect ma*es it imperati#e that thosethat are dealing with any idiopathic disease or illness MST consider e#ery health

problem as a potential cause or contributor o! their problem. ( say this becauseany o! them, or any combination o! them, could be a contributing !actor. The onlyway to actually *now which ones may be in#ol#ed in an idiopathic health issue isto eliminate each o! them and let the body tell you what role it has played. $s oralhealth is in my area o! e7pertise, ( ha#e listed those oral health issues that (

JBO9 ha#e an e!!ect, some #ery serious such as amalgam !illings;chronicmercury poisoning and gum disease. +ut all oral health issues must be e#aluatedand dealt with.

( will ta*e Meniere)s Syndrome;Disease as an e7ample. There are a number o!symptoms that, when ta*en together, comprise Meniere)s syndrome. +ut not onlyare we not sure what caused the disease, we are ust as uncertain about whattrigger)s the symptoms associated with Meniere)s. Thus, there could be a geneticcause that predisposes this condition and other !actors that are in#ol#ed in thetriggering o! symptoms. 9e ust don)t *now. +ut what ( suggest be considered isthat stress, in whate#er !orm, could easily trigger the #arious symptoms.9e *now that stress ta*es many !orms. 9e *now that emotional, psychologicaland physical stress can lower the body)s resistance to disease. (n short, stressma*es us more #ulnerable to disease. 9ell, the re#erse is also true and all diseasecauses stress1 some more than others but all stress the body. (t would seem logicalto assume that anyone with Meniere)s, or any other idiopathic disease, would wantto do e#erything possible to eliminate e#ery !orm o! stress. This may be easiersaid than done but ( belie#e e#ery e!!ort must be made i! you want to reduce oreliminate any potential triggering e!!ect.

(t is not in my area o! e7pertise to tell you how to deal with other a#enues o! stressin your li!e but ( will encourage you to ma*e your best e!!ort to eliminate all oralhealth issues. The !irst step includes a complete oral health e#aluation.


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attempt to !ocus treatment solely in that one area and although they generally getsome relie! !rom that approach, i! it is also related to other health issues, they canne#er hope to truly eliminate their problem. =lus, not doing so will still lea#e them#ulnerable to the side e!!ects o! those other health problems in the !uture.

So while it would be truly wonder!ul to *now a speci!ic cause !or Meniere)s, it isstill in a person)s best interest to achie#e optimal health. So loo*ed at in the rightway the idiopathic aspect can really become a moti#ating !actor to identi!y andeliminate other health problems.The two oral health issues that ( belie#e can contribute to, cause, or triggerMeniere)s symptoms, are mercury amalgam !illings and gum disease. +ut becauseo! its e!!ect on the immune system ( also belie#e it would be important to considerthe indi#idual)s sensiti#ity to dental materials and the gal#anic e!!ect o! dental!illings.

%eal $ge 4#aluation(t would be appropriate to end this boo*let with some insight!ul comments aboutthe e!!ects o! dental disease on longe#ity, by Dr. Michael F. %oi/en. (n his classic

boo*, %eal $ge: $re


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problems. They can also inter!ere with success!ul medical treatment and healingand can actually shorten li!e e7pectancy.( belie#e that the e#idence supporting the role o! dental disease in systemic

diseases is conclusi#e. $s a patient, you cannot a!!ord to o#erloo* this relationshipwhen see*ing treatment !or any disease or !or attempting to e7tend li!e e7pectancyand impro#e the uality o! your li!e. (! you su!!er !rom any o! the symptoms ordiseases re!erred to in this chapter, you must determine i! periodontal disease,amalgam !illings, or another oral issue could be contributing to its cause orse#erity. @ertainly, you want to ensure that you ha#e at least eliminated dentaldisease or mercury poisoning as a possible cause o!, or contributor to, youre7isting health problems.

Beglecting the issue o! dental health, in my opinion, eopardi/es the success o!treatment and could lead to disappointing outcomes. (t could also result in great

!rustration !or you and your health practitioner.

SolutionsDiscussing problems without o!!ering solutions does not ha#e much #alue.There!ore, ( will o!!er some solutions to help you address the problems o! dentaldisease and its e!!ects on o#erall health.

( am not suggesting that you become a dentist yet, it is #itally important to addressthe issue o! oral health, especially since it could a!!ect the success o! anytreatment you may now be undergoing.

4#eryone understands that success!ul treatment hinges on ma*ing an accuratediagnosis. (n order to ma*e a truly Ewhole body) diagnosis you, your dentist andyour health pro!essional, must *now the state o! your oral health.My suggestion is that you ma*e an appointment with your dentist to determine the!ollowing:

0.


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health problems will be more success!ul.

(n health,

Dr. Tom

@ontact (n!ormationTom McGuire, DDS=residentThe Dental 9ellness (nstitute2&0 S. Main St., R 5'2Sebastopol, @$ I538&0AN''A225A8855www.dentalwellness3u.com

%e!erences0. Fran* DeSte!ano, et al: Dental disease and ris* o! coronary heart disease andmortality. +ritish Medical Kournal 2'6: 6NNA6I0, March 02, 0II2.&. JK Mattila, et al: $ssociation between dental health and acute myocardialin!arction. +ritish Medical Kournal &IN: 88IAN&, March &5, 0INI.2. J =aunio, et al: Missing teeth and ischemic heart disease in men aged 35A63years. 4ur "eart K 03 >suppl J?: 53A56. 0II2

3. K. SyrLnen, et al: Dental in!ections in association with cerebral in!arction inyoung and middleAaged men. Kournal o! (nternal Medicine &&5: 08IA0N3,March, 0INI.5. K. SyrLnen, et al: =receding in!ection as an important ris* !actor !or ischaemic

brain in!arction in young and middle aged patients. +ritish Medical Kournal &I6:0056A6', 0INN.6. Shaw K": @auses and control o! dental caries. Bew 4ngland Kournal o!

Medicine 208: II6A0''3, 0IN8.8. Hoesche 9K, Syed S$, Schmidt 4, Morrison 4@: +acterial pro!iles o!subgingi#al plaues in periodontitis. Kournal o! =eriodontal 56: 338A56, 0IN5.N. Ko*inen M$: +acteremia !ollowing dental e7traction and its prophyla7is. =rocFinn Dent Soc 66: 82AIN. 0I8'.I. Murray M, Moosnic* F: (ncidence o! bactermia in patients with dentaldisease. K Hab @lin Med &I: N'0AN'&. 0I30.

0'. Mathews KD, 9hittingham S, Mac*ay (%: $utoimmune mechanism in human
http://www.dentalwellness4u.com/http://www.dentalwellness4u.com/


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#ascular disease. Hancet &: 03&2A8. 0I83.00. Grau $K et al: $ssociation between acute cerebro#ascular ischemia andchronic and recurrent in!ection. Stro*e &N: 08&3A08&I, 0II8.

0&. Mealy +H: (n!luence o! periodontal in!ections on systemic health.=eriodontology &''' &0: 0I8A&'I, 0III.02. Thorstensson ", et al: Medical status and complications in relation to

periodontal disease e7perience in insulin dependent diabetics. Kournal o! @linical=eriodontology &2: 0I3A&'&.03. Mc@ormic* M@: The contribution o! o! low birth weight to in!ant mortalityand childhood morbidity. Bew 4ngland Kournal o! Medicine 20&: N&AI', 0IN5.

05. O!!enbacher, S, et al: =eriodontal in!ection as a possible ris* !actor !or pretermlow birth weight. Kournal o! =eriodontology 68:00'2A02, 0II6.06. Slots K, et al: &?: &0'A05, 0II6.


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&6. @ontrino K, et al: 4!!ects o! mercury on human polymorphonuclear leu*ocyte!unction. $m K =athol 02&:0, 00'A00N, Kuly 0INN.

&8. =erlingeiro %@, et al: =olymorphonuclear phagocytosis and *illing wor*erse7posed to inorganic mercury. (nt K (mmunopharmacol 06:0&, 0'00A08, 0II3&N. +reiner M$: 9hole +ody Dentistry. uantum "ealth =ress, 0III.&I. McGuire T: Tooth Fitness:

gilut - the body

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