By Dr. Preety Desai
Long in the tooth is a cliché referring to the ancient idea that people lose their teeth in direct proportion to the rate at which they chronologically age.
But this is far from the truth today.
A healthy mouth with good teeth is able to smile for you, chew salads and meats for you, but it also improves your digestion and increases your longevity with the variety of foods you can ingest and digest.
It also helps maintain your dignity.
Maturing in actual “years” does not mean your body or your mouth ages at the same rate.
Researchers have shown that the healthier your mouth is and the more teeth you keep, the better you stave off Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease and cancer.
Researchers have identified that Alzheimer’s disease, which is classified as inflammation of the brain, can be tracked to oral bacteria, herpes viruses or oral yeasts causing periodontal disease.
These microbes find their way through the blood-brain barrier.
Once you know this, the motivation to go to the periodontist, who knows more about gums and gum disease better than any other dentist, should be a natural choice for you.
Even if you have lost none, some or all your teeth, maintaining your oral health even with dentures is key to your overall health.
With dentures, the risk of candida infections is high and thus removing your dentures at night is a must.
If the lack of chewing or taste is an issue, you might want to consider a simple cheap conversion to an implant-supported denture with you own dentures for better chewing function.
If you have lost some teeth, maintaining what is remaining is also critical compared to the old days when you just called it quits and got full dentures.
Research shows you live longer, better and happier with even some of your own teeth.
And finally the more teeth you have, the better, and maintaining them means you have the best quality of life all round.
See the periodontist to ensure that you are privy to the latest laser technology to keep your own teeth smiling.
This is still the best bang for your buck.
Dr. Preety Desai is a periodontist in Kamloops. She can be reached at 778.471.6001. www.kamloopsperiodontist.com
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.