Green Week: Save water and your teeth.

If you missed Earth Day 2007, you can still save Planet Earth and guard against periodontal disease. Encourage your family members and friends to turn the water off every time they brush their teeth - at least twice a day. Of course, everyone should be brushing after lunch, too. Run the water to rinse your mouth.

That’s all you have to do to be a Water Warrior and a good environmental citizen. You’ll have a better chance of saving your teeth, too. Flossing and brushing every surface of every tooth and brushing your gums every time you eat are your primary defenses against periodontal disease. Seeing your dentist or periodontist at least twice a year is your next best defense.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, "The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month!"Applying this practice equals saving 2,880 gallons of water each year for every individual in the United States who takes this simple step. You, your family, and your friends can participate in protecting the future of our nation’s limited water supply and your children’s future each time you brush your teeth.

Depending on where your water resources come from, turning off the water while brushing your teeth can have a positive impact on springs, rivers, and wetlands habitat for wildlife that would otherwise be damaged by water treatment plants. The impacts from taking water out of processing can be lessened in small ways that will positively affect the future of Planet Earth.As model citizens of Planet Earth, you are trustees of the little things that will make a big difference and ensure efficient use of our water supply.

Make a conscious effort to turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Each person in each family can use water more efficiently to preserve water supplies for future generations and protect our planet’s environment. It’s easy.Visit www.epa.gov/watersense/ to learn more ways to use water and energy more efficiently.

Keep smiling.

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor’s Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/ for your Free Tips.

The Patron Saint of Dentistry

In 249 AD Rome, a woman named Apollonia was tortured and killed for practicing her Christian faith in public. Legend has it that “her tormentors broke her teeth with iron points, and extracted the roots with tongs.”

The legend also says that after her teeth were broken, she was given a choice of renouncing her faith or being burned alive, whereupon she voluntarily jumped into the fire. Her suffering resulted in her canonization as the Patron Saint of Dentistry in 300 AD.

The following is a prayer to Saint Apollonia:

“Apollonia, Apollonia, Holy Saint in Heaven,
see my pain in yourself. Free me from evil pain,
for my toothache may torture me to death.”

Keep smiling.

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor’s Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/

Five vitamins and minerals that help maintain healthy teeth and gums.

1. Vitamin A: Beef, eggs, liver, salmon, shrimp, fortified milk, cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese.

2. Vitamin C: Bell peppers, broccoli, potatoes, spinach and fruits and fruit juices (especially citrus). Studies have revealed that people who consume less of Vitamin C tend to be 25% more likely to suffer from gum disease.

3. Vitamin D: Fortified cereals, fortified milk, fatty fish (helps absorb Calcium).

4. Calcium: Cheese, fortified juices, milk, tofu, salmon, sardines with bones, yogurt, and leafy green vegetables (including broccoli and kale, but not spinach or Swiss chard, which have binders that lessen absorption). 99% of the calcium in your body is your bones and your teeth. Dietary calcium is needed to make sure they’re in good shape.

5. Phosphorus: Almonds, broccoli, eggs, dairy products, green peas, fish, liver, meat, milk, potatoes, and poultry.

If you don’t eat fresh fruits and vegetables, take vitamins to supplement your diet.
If you have, or will soon have dental or periodontal surgery, it is especially important to include Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin E.

Keep smiling.

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor’s Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/

The trouble with teeth: October is National Dental Hygiene Month.

More than 30 million denture wearers in the United States didn’t see a dental professional in time to save their teeth: 75% of new patients don’t know they have gum disease until they are diagnosed.

If you haven’t been to a dental professional this year, now is the time to begin your oral health regime. Regular check-ups will identify gum disease and help you save your teeth and half of your bank account.

Early gum disease (gingivitis) is reversible with professional treatment and diligent oral home care.

1. Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day.
2. Get your teeth professionally cleaned at least every six months to maintain healthy teeth and gums.

If left untreated, early gum disease can lead to periodontal disease, which can result in jawbone loss, tooth loss, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pre-term low-birth weight babies, stroke, and more.

Don't ignore the warning signs of gum disease:

1. Red, swollen or tender gums.
2. Gums that bleed when you brush (pink in the sink).
3. Recurring bad breath.

Go to your dental professional this month and keep smiling.

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivors' Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/ for your Free Tips.

Periodontal disease is a contact sport with teeth.

The American Academy of Periodontology (http://www.perio.org/) says, “Research suggests that the bacteria causing periodontal disease can pass through saliva. This means that common contact of saliva in families puts children and couples at risk for contracting the periodontal disease of another family member.”

Exchanging medical and criminal records are old news when getting serious about a relationship. Does this mean we have to exchange dental records before dating someone new?

Keep smiling.

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor’s Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
For more information, please visit http://www.gotteethguide.com/ and get your Free Tips.

Control periodontal disease with laser surgery.

My Halloween highlight was Laser Periodontal Therapy™ surgery at 9:00 AM, October 31, 2007 to save and restore two hopeless teeth and the gums that surround them.

The laser-based surgery is new in town and is cutting edge (no pun intended). It offers no cutting and no stitches, which means less pain, less bleeding, less swelling, less tissue removal, less down time, and less recovery time.

This was my first laser surgery and I was so nervous walking through the parking lot into the dental office, I think I developed an eye twitch.

The staff smiled and helped me relax while the vanilla-scented nose cone was attached to the Nitrous Oxide hook-up. My periodontist administered numerous Novocaine injections and I was given goggles with green lenses to wear, which would protect my eyes from the laser. It was the ultimate Halloween experience.

My periodontist and his team have the newest equipment and training to control periodontal (gum) disease. If you’ve been told you need periodontal surgery to save your teeth, ask about this new laser technique. It can save your teeth and your money.

What I know for sure is that it’s all connected.

Saundra

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor’s Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
www.gotteethguide.com

Menopausal women, postmenopausal women and gum disease.

It just never stops.

Dry mouth, pain, burning sensations, and changes in taste (peppery, salty, sour) are mild compared to the risk factors that include poor diet and low calcium intake, diabetes, cavities, and poor oral hygiene.

Menopause can cause gums to be sore and sensitive. A small percentage of women are affected by menopausal gingivitis, when gums might look shiny or dry, bleed, and range in color from pale to deep red.

Postmenopausal women can acquire something that is not clearly understood or easily pronounceable called desquamative gingivitis. This disease causes layers of the gums to shed and leaves the gum tissue raw and the nerves exposed.

What does this mean to you?

Debate continues among professionals regarding hormone replacement therapy. Some say it can cause gums to redden, bleed, and swell, and some say it will relieve the symptoms. So give us a break already.

Prevention is the key. Speak to your dental and health professionals and do your own research if you are menopausal or post-menopausal. Visit your dental professional at least twice a year for check-ups and professional cleaning.

What I know for sure is that it’s all connected!

Saundra
Got Teeth? A Survivor's Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/