Dental Concerns of Dry Mouth for Older Patients

Our saliva glands are something most of us do not think about until we experience dry mouth.  This can be brought on by medications or diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and stroke.  Also, dry mouth can be caused by surgery, injury or radiation treatment to the neck and head area.  In addition, dehydration can increase the likelihood of dry mouth from excessive sweating, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.¹

Why should anyone be concerned with having a dry mouth?  This condition can increase a person’s chances of getting cavities.  As we get older, our gums recede and this exposes the root surface of our teeth.  The roots of our teeth have no enamel covering them to protect against the bacteria that causes cavities.  Our saliva has natural minerals that help to strengthen our exposed root surfaces.  Just like our internal organs suffer if blood circulation slows down, our oral tissues will suffer if the saliva flow goes down.²

You can help fight against dry mouth by using artificial saliva rinse like Biotene during the day.  Also, you can protect your teeth by means of brushing with fluoride toothpaste and using a fluoride rinse once a day before bed.  When you use a fluoride rinse before bed, it allows the fluoride to protect your teeth overnight when our saliva glands naturally slow down.  A few more helpful tips are drinking water, sucking on sugar free candy or chewing sugar free gum throughout the day.¹

Dr. Peyghambarian and the dental hygienists at Paradise Ridge Dentistry are best equipped to handle this kind of oral health issue.  If you have further questions relating to this topic, please give our office a call.  We will be happy to help you assess if this is a problem for you that needs to be addressed.

References

¹ – “Dental Health and Dry Mouth.” http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-health-dry-mouth

² – “Oral Health Topics: Saliva.” http://www.ada.org/3005.aspx?currentTab=1

Pregnancy and Periodontal Disease

     One thing that is often overlooked during pregnancy is how the mother’s oral health can have an impact on her baby’s health.  A study from the Journal of American Dental Association¹ stressed the importance of pregnant women or those who are planning on getting pregnant to be educated by their dentist on how an increase in oral diseases (gingivitis and periodontitis) can affect their body and their unborn child.

As pregnant women experience hormonal changes, one manifestation of this can be seen with an increase in inflammation and bleeding of the gums².  This condition is called pregnancy gingivitis.  Gingivitis, which only affects the gums and is also called gum disease, can more easily become periodontitis, also known as periodontal disease.

Periodontitis is a disease of the gums and the bone around the teeth due to a lack of good oral self care such as regular flossing and brushing on a daily basis.  How can this disease affect the unborn child?  One example from the study mentioned above¹ is how the initial increase in certain organisms (Campylobacter rectus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Peptostreptococcus micros, Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescence) from a lack of good oral hygiene provide the foundation for bacteria that are more aggressive (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythensis and Treponema denticola).  As the bacteria enter the blood stream, it can reach the placenta.  The increase in bacteria in the mouth and in the mother’s womb can cause the body to raise the level of antibodies to fight against the infection.  If the infection reaches the fetus and it is unable to control the bacteria, the aggressive organisms may have access to different tissues.  This could elicit a defense response in the body to fight against the bacteria and possibly cause structural harm to the organ systems and tissues of the unborn child.

Therefore, it is especially important for pregnant women to come in for regular dental cleanings and make sure to floss and brush their teeth daily.  Patients should come in at least every six months for a regular cleaning and those with periodontal disease may need to come in every three or four months to keep periodontitis under control after an initial thorough cleaning.

Dr. Peyghambarian and the dental hygienists at Paradise Ridge Dentistry are best equipped to handle these kinds of issues and others relating to pregnancy oral health issues.  If you have further questions relating to this topic, please give our office a call.  We will be happy to help you assess if this is a problem for you that needs to be addressed.

References

¹ – Yiorgos A. Bobetsis, DDS, PhD; Silvana P. Barros, DDS, PhD and Steven Offenbacher, DDS, PhD, MMSc; “Exploring the relationship between periodontal disease and pregnancy complications.” JADA, Vol. 137, October 2006, pages 7s – 13s

² – http://www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/G_PerinatalOralHealthCare.pdf