Recommendations for Healthy Teeth

Patient Question:
Do you have any recommendations on how to keep teeth healthy?

Dr. Marder:
You can try using herbal remedies like the goldenseal and oils. Another is called “oil pulling”, very helpful to detox the mouth and the gut of toxins and pathogens. Usually, we recommend coconut oil. This must be done each day for about 20 minutes.

Oil Pulling:

1. On an empty stomach, take one tablespoon of oil and hold it in your mouth without swallowing. We recommend doing this first thing in the morning.

2. Move it around your mouth by swishing the solution within your cheeks and sucking it through your teeth. Try to keep your chin up so that the oil touches all portions of the oral cavity.

3. Continue “pulling” for about 20 minutes. Try to keep yourself busy with other tasks, like making breakfast or showering, so that you’re not tempted to spit too soon.

4. DO NOT SWALLOW the mixture after pulling since it will now be considered toxic. The color should now be milky and the consistency runny. Perform a test spit to check the color. If it is still golden yellow, continue “pulling” for a few more minutes.

5. Once the “pulling” process is complete, spit the mixture in the sink and rinse it away. Rinse your oral cavity thoroughly with water and use clean fingers to remove any residual oil. Since you just pulled the toxins from your mouth, there’s no need to brush your teeth before eating and continuing with your day.

U.S. Government Calls for Amalgam Phase-Out

This is huge news, finally amalgam where it belongs,
in the history books:

U.S. government calls for the phase-out of amalgam!
In an extraordinary development that will change the global debate about amalgam, the United States government has announced that it supports a “phase down, with the goal of eventual phase out by all Parties, of mercury amalgam.”  This statement – a radical reversal of its former position that “any change toward the use of dental amalgam is likely to result in positive public health outcomes” –  is part of the U.S. government’s submission for the upcoming third round of negotiations for the world mercury treaty.*

While couched in diplomatic hedging – remember it is still early in the negotiations – this new U.S. position makes three significant breakthroughs for the mercury-free dentistry movement:

1.  The U.S. calls for the phase-out of amalgam ultimately and recommends actions to “phase down” its use immediately.  Incredibly, the government adopted three actions that the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry and Consumers for Dental Choice proposed at the negotiating session in Chiba , Japan .  Our key ally, The Mercury Policy Project, had laid the groundwork for this success at a World Health Organization meeting in 2009!

2.  The U.S. speaks up for protecting children and fetuses from amalgam, recommending that the nations “educat[e] patients and parents in order to protect children and fetuses.”

3. The U.S. stands up for the human right of every patient and parent to make educated decisions about amalgam.

What does this mean?  Our position – advocating the phase-out of amalgam – is now the mainstream because the U.S. government supports it.  Who is the outlier now?  It’s the pro-mercury faction, represented by the World Dental Federation and the American Dental Association.  With the U.S. continuing its leadership role in this treaty, we will broadcast the U.S. position to other governments around the world, encouraging them to support amalgam “phase downs” leading to phase-outs not only globally, but within each of their countries.

We applaud the U.S. government.  But tough work lies ahead.  For example, we must demonstrate to the world that the available alternatives – such as composites and the adhesive materials used in atraumatic restorative treatment (“ART”) – can cost less than amalgam and increase access to dental care particularly in developing countries.

For now though, let’s mark this watershed in the mercury-free dentistry movement: the debate has shifted from “whether to end amalgam” to “how to end amalgam.”

Charles G. Brown
National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
5 April 2011

* Full text available at http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Mercury/Documents/INC3/United%20States.pdf  Here is the excerpt on amalgam:

“We are aware that several delegations at INC-2 suggested mercury amalgam should not be included in Annex C, noting a number of difficulties and complexities related to this issue. The United States supports further consideration of dental amalgam by the INC such that the agreement is able to achieve the phase down, with the goal of eventual phase out by all Parties, of mercury amalgam upon the development and availability of affordable, viable alternatives. To the extent that Annex C is not structured to accomplish such a goal, the United States believes that a number of obligations could be considered within an appropriate operative paragraph of the agreement itself. Such a paragraph could commit Parties to phase down the use of mercury amalgam or address mercury releases through conducting and promoting further research on alternatives, mandating the use of separators in dental offices, promoting and incentivizing prevention strategies, educating patients and parents in order to protect children and fetuses, and training of dental professionals on the environmental impacts of mercury in dental amalgams, and to report on their progress in doing so to inform the Conference of the Parties on the progress being made to phase down amalgam use.”

The Dental Distress Syndrome Quantified

I believe this is a very important article by one of the greats in biological dentistry, Dr. Al Fonder. I, too, have seen these types of results in my own practice.

Please click here to read Dr. Fonder’s findings: The Dental Distress Syndrome Quantified

 

Actions on Fluoride

A step in the right direction: today it was announced that the US government has recommended lowering the fluoride levels in our drinking water.

Check out these links to learn more about the new fluoride recommendations:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
CNN Health

Fluoridation and Your Health

Not only is fluoride a toxic substance that government has deemed appropriate to put in our drinking water, but it is even questionable as to the efficacy in dental decay reduction. We, as informed consumers, should resist any addition of medication to our water supply. Please take a few minutes to read the articles below to learn more about this issue.

Natural News- Study: Fluoridated Water Causes Brain Damage in Children

The Douglass Report- Fluoride Will Ruin Your Teeth- And Your Health!

The Movement Against Mercury

The Hazardous Gas in Your Mouth: Is this the First Crack in the ADA’s Corrupt Cover-up? Important information on ending the use of dental amalgam (courtesy of Mercola.com).

Vitamin D

As the seasons change and we change our clocks, most of us will be getting less sun, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. Research has shown that the majority of Americans are depleted in Vitamin D. Getting our Vitamin D levels checked is an easy test and likely will show that supplementing with D3 may be a prudent idea.

Nutritional consultants advise differing amounts for daily supplementation, so I will not recommend a fixed amount. Best to check levels, supplement if low, and check again from time to time. This is especially true during the dark months of the season. 

I like the drops that can be taken under the tongue or skin creams. In this way, we bypass the stomach acid that by-mouth supplements need to survive through. Remember that these can work because Vitamin D is fat soluble and because of that, there can be a toxic dose. In other words, very high intake of a water soluble vitamin like C will be excreted in the urine if the amount is in excess of what the cells need. But, excessive levels of a fat soluble vitamin (A, D, E, K) will tend to build up in the tissues and potentially create a negative side effect.

“Corn Sugar”

The latest move by the Corn Refiners Association appears mis-directed and controversial. Because conscious consumers have reduced their high fructose corn syrup consumption to its lowest level in twenty years, the association is petitioning the FDA to allow manufacturers to rename HFCS to “corn sugar”. In either form, corn sweetener is metabolized to fat quicker than any other form of sugar. It is a primary cause of diabetes, obesity and heart disease in our population today. It is found in soda and other processed foods. Bottom line: don’t accept any corn sweetener, whatever its name.

Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disordered Breathing

The Role of Dentistry Position paper by Mitchell Marder, DDS

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a condition affecting 10% of children, 44% of adult males, and 28% of adult females.  In fact, there is research that connects ADHD, developmental delay, poor concentration, bed-wetting, night terrors, obesity, and earaches in children with sleep disordered breathing.

Accompanying SDB, we often find hypertension (35%), obesity (90% males, 50% females), diabetes (50%), heart failure (50%), atrial fibrillation (50%), heart attack (50%), stroke (67%), asthma (15%), and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (15%).  Sleep disordered breathing is also associated with a seven fold increase in the incidence of motor vehicle accidents, linked to an increase in work and home accidents, and implicated in failed personal relationships due to snoring.

During sleep, the tongue can fall back into the throat and obstruct the airway.  Snoring comes from vibration of the uvula as it is sucked back into the throat, partial collapse of the oral pharynx.  It may occur alone or as a presenting feature of obstructive sleep apnea (see below).  As breathing is interrupted, blood pressure rises.  As the throat obstruction worsens, apnea events (waking up gasping for air) become more frequent.  The apneic person wakes tired and often will fall asleep during daytime hours, such as, tragically, behind the wheel while driving.

It is the dentist’s role to ask about sleep patterns, presence of snoring, to examine uvular edema (swelling), tonsilar size, tongue size, and narrow palate.  The dentist should check for narrow palates and retruded lower jaws, offering orthopedic palate expansion and mandibular (lower jaw) advancement, especially in children.  The dentist should feel comfortable in referring to a sleep specialist or for a sleep test.  At home SDB screening tests are available and relatively inexpensive.  But currently, treatment is only reimbursable by the insurance industry if SDB is measured in a sleep lab.

It is incumbent upon dentists to take on the responsibility of screening for SBD and either offer services of sleep testing and oral appliance therapy or refer to specialists in sleep dentistry, otolaryngology and sleep medicine.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

OSA occurs when air cannot flow through a person’s nose or mouth.  The number of involuntary breathing pauses, or “apneic events” may be as high as 60 per hour.  If the tongue and jaw muscles relax enough, the airway is blocked, oxygen drops, and the apneic event of waking occurs.  The sufferer is not aware of waking, but sleep is severely disrupted.   Snoring and choking between events is common, but not all snorers are apneics.

Apneics are tired during the day and may fall asleep at work, while stopped at a traffic light, while reading, or other times of day.  More serious consequences associated with OSA include depression, hypertension, heart conditions, sexual problems, weight gain, memory lapses, intellectual deterioration and morning headaches.

Overnight sleep studies is the gold standard for diagnosis of OSA, but certain home screening tests are less cumbersome and can determine the need for a full sleep study (polysomnography).

In addition to weight loss, sleep position change, and improvements in sleep habits, the most common treatments for OSA are:

•Nasal CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) which is a plugged-in unit that delivers a positive flow of air through a nose mask to keep the upper airway open, precluding apneic events.

•Oral appliance therapy which is similar to a mouth guard, a custom-made appliance to hold the lower jaw forward which keeps open the airway and permits normal breathing during sleep.  This minimizes snoring as well as apneic events.  This appliance is recommended for moderate apnea, defined as less than 30 events an hour.

•Medications, removal of tonsils, operations to remove parts of the uvula and soft palate

Healthy Body, Healthy Life

Recently I learned that 60-70% of our immune system resides in our gut, or digestive tract, which is also known as gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). It should come as no surprise then that our health integrity, or immune responsiveness, could be associated with what we eat, digest, and assimilate. Many of us find that we are intolerant of gluten (wheat, barley, oats, rye, spelt) and/or of dairy. We eat these foods and we pay a price; we may feel achy, tired, sluggish, brain fog, joint pain. What is happening, of course, is that our immune system (G.I. tract) is reacting much like it would in an allergic response. First to the foods we are eating and then to our own digestive tissues. In a way, we become intolerant to our own tissues and develop auto-immune types of reactions. Recently, we have seen a huge increase the diagnoses of chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, Chrons Disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and today, I will add periodontal disease.

We must look at our periodontal tissues, the tissues of our mouth, and our tongue as a reflection of the inside linings of our stomach, small and large intestine. Practitioners of Chinese medicine actually read the tongue and offers advice based on its shape, size, moisture, color, ridges, fissures and their locations. The tip of the tongue reflects the lungs and heart. Changes, like red dots at the tip, reflect anxiety, worry and stress. The center of the tongue reflects stomach and spleen. Cracking here represents stomach weakness and in naturopathic circles might be interpreted as shortage of hydrochloric acid, causing stomach upset like acid reflux and heartburn.

Periodontal disease is characterized by bleeding, swelling, redness in the gums. Our own tissue is being attacked by our own immune system; characteristics of auto-immune diseases. I believe that in order to control periodontal disease we must take care of our immune system. As I’ve said before, one person gets gum disease with very little plaque (the bacterial offending agent) while another is fairly resistant even in a mouth full of offending bacteria (poor oral hygiene). The difference must lie in a difference in host responsiveness, reactivity of the individual, and an immune system on hyper-alert – one able to attack its own tissues. Therefore, not only must an affected person reduce bacterial invasion – step up their oral hygiene effectiveness – but commit to strengthening their immune system.

How?

Examine what we eat and drink. Eat healthy, local, in season. Eat healthy animal protein if we are willing. Eat protein at every meal. Eat vegetables of all colors, they offer important anti-oxidants and fiber to keep our systems clean. Don’t eat late into the evening. Drink enough healthy water throughout the day (your weight in pounds divided by two equals the number of ounces per day). Don’t drink soda. Don’t ingest aspartame (NutriSweet). Limit sugar, caffeine, alcohol, gluten, dairy. Examining also means to be aware of how we feel after we eat certain foods. It may be that certain supplements would be well advised to deal with many of our modern world realities (toxins, lack of minerals in the soil, etc). Examining may also mean that for some of us, it might be advised to explore possible physiological imbalances like minerals, pH, metal toxicity, yeast and other infection to best be able to course correct our systems.

Exercise. Move our bodies every day. Sedentary living creates stagnated digestion. Yoga stresses inversions. That is, turning upside down allows the digestive system to turn upside down, shake it up a bit, even bending over touching our toes or over the couch armrest will “upset” this stagnation. Rebounding on a small trampoline exercise our lymph drainage and can clear the toxins (think food as well) from our systems.

Quiet. Find times in life that allow us to take a break from the running around that characterizes our lives. Stress kills, yes, but stress is life. We must learn to recognize, accept, and let go. This could take the form of meditation, prayer, journaling, Sabbath, napping, walking, loving. Find out what your own answer to this peaceful place is and commit to practice it.

Relationships. We cannot live our lives in solitude. Share our concerns with others. Find support amongst friends, professionals, clergy, or even family. Love others by meeting them where they are and in that way love ourselves by accepting where we are today.

It may seem like I have wandered far from the original topic of gut health, but I believe that only with a coordinated and integrated health approach, can we truly be healthy. The combination of mental, emotional, physical, environmental health is the best way to enjoy a full and resilient life.