Smile! If you can.

If you are anywhere near my age, you grew up seeing some teeth soaking in a glass jar! It was traumatizing. My Mom had dentures and considering she only lived to her early 40’s (and I don’t recall her EVER NOT HAVING THEM) she must have lost her teeth an extremely young age. It could have been the Pepsi and M&M addiction. (Which for a time, I inherited!) I don’t think it was all the uncommon back then. Dentures were everywhere! I guess for whatever reason, teeth were neglected. Perhaps due to the expense! And if you did have dental work, there’s a good chance they put some unhealthy fillings in your mouth! Mercury, a known neurotoxin was often used in fillings. (Might explain some of the many neurological issues plaguing older adults.)

I recall talking to a female architect at this firm I briefly did bookkeeping for and having her tell me that she was in the process of selling her original art collection to pay for the $100k in dental work she needed. Yes, you read that correctly. This woman needed to put the equivalent of two 2021 Mercedes E Class Sedans in her mouth so she could keep chewing.

I know quite a few people who have neglected their mouths simply because they cannot afford NOT TO. We need teeth to eat, and we need food to survive, so why isn’t dental/oral care, considered medical? This has bugged me for years. The so-called dental plans are merely discount plans and not very good discounts, I might add. What my $50k in dental work is supposed to be a bargain at $40k?

You hear all this talk about the importance of a healthy gut, but guess where your gut begins? If you guessed, your mouth, you guessed correctly. Digestion begins in the mouth. And since stomachs don’t have teeth, your mouth needs them!

The relationship between general health and oral health has been researched for years. We KNOW that oral health does impact your overall health. Studies have linked oral conditions to high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and diabetes. Bacteria from the mouth has routinely been discovered in the brains of stroke victims.

But wait! There’s more. Bacteria from the mouth, entering the respiratory system can end up in your lungs and lead to bronchitis and pneumonia. And here’s a double-edge sword for you!

Research has shown that people who have gum disease can have a difficult time regulating blood sugar. This could lead to becoming diabetic. But diabetics can have a reduced resistance to infections, making them more likely to develop gum disease.

Tooth decay and gum disease can also lead to brain infections. Oral health most certainly has an impact on systematic health. Tooth loss has been associated with not only overall mortality, but reductions in quality of life.

Your oral health can be a serious indicator of your general health. We might joke about someone having bad breath, but that bad breath is not only offending you, it might also be a sign that this foul-mouthed person has some sort of dental or medical issue. (The upside of mask wearing! Silver lining.)

While we do get messages about brushing and flossing to save our teeth, we rarely hear and more importantly, it can save our lives and our art collections!

Your mouth is the entry point to your digestive and respiratory tracts. It is full of mostly harmless bacteria. But without proper oral hygiene the bacteria can become overgrown and lead to infections, tooth decay and gum disease. Brushing, flossing, and rinsing daily can help keep bacteria under control. Bacteria from your mouth ends up in our bodies and some can cause systemic inflammation.

Gingivitis (the earliest form of gum disease, puffy, bleeding gums) can become Periodontitis. (A chronic inflammatory disease) Periodontitis can cause gums to pull away from your teeth, resulting in pain during eating, crap getting stuck in there, and eventual tooth loss. (and a horse smile!)

Our saliva helps to wash away the food and neutralize the acids and the bacteria our mouths produce. (And you men just though it was for spraying the sidewalks! I HATE THAT!!!!! STOP SPITTING! It is NOT cute!!!) Saliva which contains fluoride and electrolytes like sodium and calcium protect and clean your teeth. But saliva does so much more. Saliva starts the digestive process. Healthy saliva helps us to digest and absorb the nutrients from our food.

So, your saliva performs some very important functions. Now for the bad news. Certain medications can cause a reduction in saliva. But with so many folks popping pills of some kind, from painkillers, to antidepressants to decongestants, you might not be generating enough saliva to do its job! A saliva shortage can lead to tooth decay in as little as three months. Dry mouth IS a problem.

As always, we aging women have unique oral health concerns. Changing hormone levels (like menopause!) can raise our risks for oral health issues. Low levels of estrogen after menopause can also cause dry mouth. Dry mouth can result in sore, sensitive gums, ulcers, cavities, and infections.

Often as you age, your gums recede a bit making it harder to hit certain spots while flossing. The nerves can become less sensitive and shrink, so you might not feel the pain indicating there might be a problem. Add to that the years of use, wear and tear and aging mouths can have problems!

So, the bottom line is the health of your mouth, or lack thereof, can kill you in more ways than one!

So, back to me being pissed off. Why the hell isn’t dental covered under medical insurance? Why do we need a separate, useless plan? Dental health problems ARE medical health problems.

Many people just cannot afford to go to the dentist. Or they just put it off until they have the money. (the 25th of never!) Unlike, having a heart attack or some sort of cancer, we say, “treatment can wait!” But the problem is, it gets worse and can become life-threatening. It really CAN’T wait.

My husband spent five days in a hospital with his organs shutting down behind a tooth infection! I made him go to the ER and it saved his life. But newsflash! More than three quarters of a million folks each year visit the ER as a result of preventable dental issues!

Unfortunately, dental insurance isn’t really regulated like medical insurance and it was clearly established for the purposes of prevention only. It's truly ridiculous considering dentists practice ORAL “medicine!”

The ACA (Cares Act) mandates health coverage but doesn’t recognize dental coverage as essential for adults. More people would get the needed preventative dental care if it was covered. Insurance companies would save tons of money in ER care and expense.

AND, not only for the insurance industry, or as Chris Rock called it in his stand up, “The in case shit happens,” industry, it would help us to not have to sell our art collections or put our teeth in a glass at night!

So, what else can we do other than be mad about it?

Up your oral hygiene game. You can reverse gingivitis.

Brush and floss. (I’m so guilty on the floss thing! But I know I’m not alone!) Try an interdental brush. The cone-shaped bristles fit in between the teeth!

If your mouth is dry trying a chewing guy with Xylitol to help stimulate saliva production.

Rinse!

Electric toothbrushes make the job easier and supposedly do a better job than we do.

Drink water after meals. Always make sure water is the last thing you put in your mouth.

I invested recently in a Waterpik water flosser. My girlfriend recommended it. She told me her dentist said if more people used one, it would put them out of business!

Oil pulling with coconut oil. A natural remedy that involves swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth for 15 minutes or longer. Research suggests that the benefits include reducing inflammation as well as the amount of harmful bacteria from the mouth.

Go for those professional cleanings. At least that bogus dental insurance covers that!

And smile while you can!