Posts
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How Your Oral and Overall Health are Connected
Dentistry is not all about teeth and gums. You may not know it, but dental teams are playing major roles in maintaining whole body health. Research is proving that your health and wellness is directly connected with your oral health. Also known as the oral systemic link, poor oral care increases our chances for serious health risks. This includes: Heart disease Stroke Cancer Diabetes Alzheimer’s And much more! Routine brushing and flossing helps curb destructive bacteria from growing without restraint. Being negligent with this allows bacteria to overpower the natural defense system our gums provide. Without protective healthy tissue acting as barrier, we’re facing a bacterial jailbreak. Suspected escape routes are: Surfing the Stream: Once oral bacterium have permeated your gum tissue they are free to catch a ride through your circulatory system. Their arrival in other tissue and organ systems can trigger infections. If you have a pre-existing inclination...
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Healthy Mouth, Healthy Heart? Seattle Dentist
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 600,000 deaths in America each year – making it the leading killer for both men and women. In fact, 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S. are the result of heart disease. While these are frightening statistics, there is an upside: cardiovascular disease is somewhat preventable. You’ve probably learned how maintaining a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise are critical to preventing heart disease, but what many people don’t realize is that keeping your oral health in check may also help increase your cardiovascular health. Gums: Your First Line of Bodily Defense If you have a build-up of plaque in your mouth, it can lead to gum disease (or periodontal disease). Gum disease starts off as gingivitis; your gums may be red or tender, or your gums may bleed when you’re brushing or flossing. Research has demonstrated that people with gum disease may be...
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Healthy Mom, Healthy Teeth, Healthy Baby Seattle Dentist
The current baby boom is showing no signs of slowing down – with nearly 3.9 million little ones welcomed onto the planet this past year. Today’s expectant mothers should be commended for taking extra steps to ensure they’re as healthy as possible during pregnancy, including eating a more balanced diet, ensuring they’re consuming the appropriate vitamins and supplements, and avoiding potential toxins. But one area pregnant woman may overlook is their oral health, when in fact, it’s an incredibly important part of ensuring the overall well-being of both you and your unborn child. Below are some key oral health considerations if you’re pregnant or considering becoming pregnant. Gingivitis When you’re pregnant, be prepared for an increase of estrogen and progesterone hormones, both of which can exaggerate the impact plaque has on your oral health. A buildup of plaque at any time can lead to gingivitis; inflamed gums susceptible to bleeding...
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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...
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Have you had a Dental Emergency?
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Have You Experienced Sedation Dentistry?
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Great Steps of Eliminating Mercury Fillings Worldwide
Natural Seattle dentist, Dr. Mitch Marder is an advocate to providing mercury-free fillings and removing any amalgam fillings because of the countless scientific research stating the dangers mercury can cause to your overall health. The dangers of amalgam fillings are gaining nationally and worldwide recognition. In fact, the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology (IAOMT) sent out a press release announcing its aid to help the U.N.’s commitment for a global phase-down of mercury fillings. On January 19, the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Intergovernment Negotiating Committee (INC5) and IAOMT “formalized a legally-binding treaty to reduce global use of dental amalgam, a restorative tooth filling material containing 50% mercury.” In this treaty, the IAOMT is creating an educational program to “assist interested nations in facilitating a UN global treaty’s requirement to phase-down use of dental amalgam fillings.” The program will include “six hands-on steps toward ending dental mercury use.”...
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Good Sugar, Bad Sugar – Is There A Sweeter Choice For Oral Health? Seattle Dentist
With Halloween on the horizon, many parents (and adults simply concerned about their own general health) have a wary eye on the amount of sugar they’re about to be inundated with. With the average child hauling home and potentially consuming up to 3 cups of sugar in their Halloween treats, there’s definitely cause for concern – especially when it comes to oral health. But with all the alternative sugar products out there, it can be confusing to understand how these various sweeteners impact your teeth (if at all). Below is a handy guide to some of the most prominent sweeteners out there and what havoc they can wreak on you or your child’s oral health. Sugar Good old fashioned cane sugar is one of the leading causes of tooth decay. After consuming sugar, a sticky plaque begins to form and stick to your teeth. The bacteria living in your mouth...
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Exercise helps reduce the cancer risk
People think that exercise only has the role of muscle gaining, losing weight and improving the cardiovascular health. But in reality exercise is much more important than that. Exercise is an entire health booster that has an impact all the way to the cellular level. It reduces the risk of getting sick and requiring chronic diseases, such as cancer. Exercise also improves the circulation of the immune cells throughout your body. The immune cells (white cells) neutralize the pathogens that have entered your body and destroy them before they become cancerous. The more these cells circulate, the more efficient the immune system is. A series of studies were made, and the results showed that a direct link between the lack of physical activity and cancer exists. These studies showed that the lack of exercise could lower the: Cardiovascular capacity Pulmonary capacity Immune function Energy balance Bowel motility Hormone Levels Antioxidant...
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Everyday Holistic Dentistry Products in Seattle
If you’re adopting a holistic dentistry approach to your oral care, then you’re already familiar with the idea that alternative wellness treatments can provide benefits to your overall health, as well as your smile. Holistic dentistry encompasses everything from not using mercury fillings to diagnosing the environmental and physical factors that may be contributing to conditions such as sleep apnea. It also includes choosing products that are gentler on your system while still effective. Below are some alternatives to conventional oral care products, all of which are readily available in Seattle, and beneficial to your health. Alcohol-Free Mouthwashes One of the tenets of holistic dentistry is to find a real solution to a problem and not simply cover it up. Most people use alcohol-based mouthwashes because they are trying to rid themselves of bad breath. In actuality, alcohol can dry out your mouth and reduce saliva production. Saliva is essential...