How Biofilms Impact Our Oral Health
As a family dentist in Salmon Creek, Dr. Nelson fully understands the risks his patients’ oral health face from harmful oral bacteria. While most of our patients at Salmon Creek Family Dental know the important role brushing and flossing play in protecting the long-term health of our teeth and gums, many still don’t fully understand why these habits are so invaluable. The old adage is that sugar rots your teeth. While the notion offers a rough overview of why cutting back on sugar can mean healthier teeth and gums, it’s not entirely accurate. Sugar doesn’t actually do anything to your oral health by itself. What eating sugar does do is provide the harmful oral bacteria that thrives on our mouths with the fuel it needs to produce acids that slowly dissolve away the hard outer shell of our teeth called enamel. Plaque – a sticky biofilm – clings to the surface of our teeth using the foods we consume as a fuel source to wreak havoc on our long-term oral and overall health. To better understand how plaque functions and why brushing and flossing are so important, we need to gain a better understanding of what exactly a biofilm is and why it’s so hard to remove from our teeth. What is a Biofilm? Plaque is a common example of a biofilm, and certainly the most common type we encounter daily. Run your nail over the surface of a front tooth and – depending how long it’s been since you last brushed – you may pull away a slimy, whitish substances that constitutes an oral biofilm. When left unremoved, the biofilm produces dental plaque and tartar, both of which increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Other forms of biofilm – such as tenacious biofilm – can contaminate household appliances like ice makers, humidifiers and coffee makers if not frequently cleaned. What makes biofilms so tricky is their ability to provide strong protection to the harmful bacteria that lies within. It’s useful to think of a biofilm like a protective shell that keeps the bacteria inside safe from healthy bacteria and other agents that would otherwise neutralize these substances. Even disinfectants do not seem to have a big impact on biofilm, as you can see from the slime that accumulates on the walls of swimming pools despite the aggressive chlorination and the use of chemical retardants. In medicine, biofilms clog and contaminate medical devices, where they form dense layers that stick to artificial surfaces. Studies suggest that most if not all implant infections are due to biofilms, including infections in artificial heart valves, dental appliance, cardiac pacemakers, contact lenses and much more. As often is the case when harmful bacteria are allowed to gather, biofilms have been linked to a wide variety of chronic infections. Researchers even estimate that biofilms complicate the majority of bacterial infections in humans. Overall, biofilms make the control and eradication of harmful bacteria far more difficult for patients and doctors to handle. The Role of Brushing & Flossing So why do we need to brush and floss? Simple, it all has to do with biofilms. Since biofilms provide such strong protection to harmful oral bacteria, we actually need to scrub these substances from the surface of our teeth. If it wasn’t for biofilms, we could probably adequately protect our oral health simply by rinsing with a mouthwash containing fluoride after every meal. However, biofilms actually insulate oral bacteria, protecting these substances from antibacterial mouthwashes that would otherwise protect our teeth and gums. This makes brushing and flossing the most effective ways of eliminating biofilms from the surface of our teeth. By physically scrubbing the biofilms from the surface of our teeth, we offer additional protection to our long-term oral health. This is also why patients who fail to brush and floss daily have a higher risk for developing tooth decay and gum disease when compared to those who take their oral hygiene more seriously. So that’s it! Your family dentist in Salmon Creek hopes you’ve gained a little more insight into why brushing and flossing mean so much to your oral health and why it’s necessary to so vigorous attack the biofilms that can negatively impact your teeth and gums now and into the future.
The Link Between Low T & Gum Disease
As we have reported in our dentist in Salmon Creek blog, research has discovered significant links between periodontitis – a severe form of gum disease – and systemic health issues that include diabetes, heart disease and dementia. However, while certain studies have examined the relationship between testosterone levels and periodontitis, no conclusive evidence has yet emerged showing any clear and concise association. To delve further into a possible connection, an international team of researchers recently examined eight studies that investigated chronic periodontitis and testosterone. The scientific review sought to answer a few interesting questions about what potential impact gum disease could have on the body’s ability to produce and control testosterone levels. Why examine the link between chronic periodontitis and testosterone? Over the past 30 years, a growing amount of research has found compelling links between gum disease and a number of chronic long-term illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Furthermore, research has already found evidence to suggest that a link exists between chronic gum disease and female sex hormones, namely estrogens. However, the relationship between chronic periodontitis and men’s reproductive health has been overlooked and rarely examined. This has prompted researchers to want to discover more about what, if any, links may exist between gum disease and male reproductive issues such as infertility and low T levels. Six of the eight studies review showed a possible link between gum disease and low testosterone levels, but what’s the connection? Low testosterone levels have negative effects on bone metabolism which has been linked to increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 and higher osteoclastic activity. This connection has resulted in roughly 65 percent of studies finding a link between testosterone levels and chronic periodontitis. A possible explanation for these findings is an increased response in gum tissue by immune-endocrine interaction and a hormonal modulation of fibroblast. It has also been suggested that testosterone could impact the gingival stromal cell response to the presence of inflammation by decreasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines. This has led researchers to suggest that an evaluation of a patients’ medical history become an integral component of any comprehensive dental evaluation. Furthermore, patients who show low testosterone levels in their bodily fluids should be referred to an oral health care provider for a dental examination and treatment. Such actions may help improve the quality of life of patients suffering from either advanced gum disease or low testosterone levels. Why is establishing a clear link between advanced gum disease and testosterone levels been so difficult? One note researcher made when examining the different studies for potential outliers was that the ages of the participants varied significantly. One study examined testosterone levels in men between the ages of 19 to 21 while a separate study examined the levels of men between the ages of 66 to 95. Furthermore, roughly half of the studies reviewed failed to adjust their results for known risk factors for gum disease, such as obesity, diabetes and smoking. With such a varied age group and inexact standards, developing consistent results that stand up to further scrutiny has been difficult. As the mysteries surrounding periodontitis and low testosterone levels receive further scrutiny, check back with our dentist in Salmon Creek blog for more coverage of this important health topic.
The Hormonal Impact on Oral Health
As your family dentist in Salmon Creek, our team understands when most patients hear the word hormones they think of those awkward teenage years that should make the public display of old high school yearbooks a crime. (Punishable by a forced feathered haircut or perm, perhaps.) However, hormonal changes can also impact the oral health of both men and women. While most patients know that during middle age, the fluctuation in female hormones such as estrogen can cause a number of problems before, around, and during menopause. It’s been well established that women can become more susceptible to bone problems such as osteoporosis, join pain and heart conditions. Temporomandibular joint pain – commonly referred to as TMJ – can develop due to a decrease in estrogen levels, as estrogen provides an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. However, a decrease in estrogen can also cause a variety of oral health problems as well. Dry Mouth When estrogen levels drop, it can impact the amount of water the body maintains as estrogen plays a role in controlling the regulation of fluids in the body, including the fluid content of the mouth. A change in hormones doesn’t just impact women’s either. Lower testosterone levels in men can also result in increased dry mouth. Combine the impact hormone fluxuation has on the body’s ability to regulate fluids with the fact that the body ability to conserve water drops with age, means that it’s far easier to become dehydrated the older we get. Frequent dehydration can cause: Dry mouth Bad breath Gum problems and tooth decay Changes in taste Fortunately, you can take steps to lower your risk of dry mouth and dehydration by drinking plenty of water and increasing the number of foods in your diet that have a high water content, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. To ensure you drink enough water a day, try to drink a full glass of water during each meal. Not only will this habit help to keep you hydrated, it will also help to wash any food debris away that might linger in your mouth after eating. If you experience dry mouth during the day, try chewing on sugar-free gum to keep your mouth moist. Chewing gum will cause your mouth to naturally salivate and help to offset any dry mouth you may be experiencing. If dry mouth becomes a persistent problem, talk with Dr. Nelson to determine what might be the cause of your condition. Gum Disease As estrogen levels continue to drop in the years following menopause, women become more likely to develop severe gum disease. Low levels of estrogen cause inflammatory changes in the body that can lead to the development of gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease and precursor for the more serious periodontitis. Most postmenopausal women – 60 percent – will suffer from periodontal problems. The most common signs of gum disease include: Swollen, red, or tender gums Gums the have pulled away from the base of your teeth Discoloration of gum tissue Gum sensitivity Gums that bleed easily after brushing The best way to lower your risk of gum disease whether caused by hormonal change or poor oral health is to maintain a quality oral hygiene regimen. Cleaning between your teeth and along the gum line is vitally important because your gum tissue is the foundation of your teeth, and a weak foundation can lead to permanent tooth loss. If you have any questions about how a change in hormones can impact your oral health, make sure to ask your family dentist in Salmon Creek, Dr. Dale Nelson, during your next visit to Salmon Creek Family Dental.