Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States annually. There are certain health conditions that can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Knowing the signs and symptoms as well as the risk factors for heart disease can help prevent and reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Common sense dental care plays a pivotal role in reducing the risk of heart disease. We now know that gum disease can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, respiratory ailments, and many other illnesses. Studies have shown that the same bacteria present in gum disease, is found in arterial plaque that hardens the blood vessels leading to cardiovascular disease. A simple routine of preventive dentistry through a combination of proper home care and quality partnership with your dentist can prevent serious illnesses from becoming worse due to poor oral hygiene. Finding the right dentist and the proper tools for home care may seem like a challenge, but it really need not be with a little education and homework on your part.

How to choose from the ocean of consumer dental products
Consumers are bombarded with dental products that promise to cure every form of oral disease from cavities to bad breath. Unfortunately, with oral health, there is no one miracle product that will reverse or cure disease. For example, with gum disease, whether it’s the initial stages of tender, swollen or bleeding gums typical of gingivitis (initial stages of gum disease), or the more advanced stages of gum disease known as “periodontitis”, the colonies of bacteria have to be mechanically removed by a dental professional before healing begins. Another example is tartar, the hard deposit of food and calcified bacteria by-products that develop if plaque (the soft film covering the teeth and gums) is not removed properly at least once every 24 hours. No matter what toothpaste promises, it will not remove tartar from your teeth.

WARNING: You May be Brushing Your Teeth with a Drug
Unfortunately, gum disease is silent and besides some bleeding when brushing and flossing, or bad breath, there may be no pain and therefore, you may be unaware that it exists. Your dentist will likely prescribe certain antimicrobial mouth rinses at this stage for a limited period of time.

Your routine toothpaste and mouthwashes should not contain antibiotics, antimicrobials, or antifungal ingredients, whether in chemical or herbal form. The majority of toothpaste and mouthwash, whether purchased from your local grocery, drug chain or health food store, contain therapeutic ingredients, which is why there is a WARNING on the back of the label. The therapeutic ingredients could include chemical antibiotics, herbal antibiotics, antiseptics, fluoride, and chlorine dioxide, among others.

As a dentist, I’m becoming increasingly concerned with the content of most of the commercial toothpaste and mouthwash, whether the manufacturer is offering “natural” or the traditional well-known brands. It is of vital importance for consumers to realize that herbs can act in the same way as drugs. Chinese medicine and herbal practitioners have used herbs for treatment for centuries. However, they do not prescribe herbs routinely, but only to those needing to treat an illness. Used in the proper context, herbs can prove to be a powerful source of treatment whether used for a simple insect bite or a more serious illness. Pregnant or nursing women should also use herbs with caution since many herbs may react with other medications or have side effects that may affect the baby. In recent years, these same herbs have been placed in our everyday personal care products without any thought to their medicinal properties.

Some ingredients frequently found in toothpaste and mouthwash includes tea tree oil, aloe vera, echinacea, and triclosan. Tea tree oil is not for internal use, yet it’s added to toothpaste. It has antimicrobial, antiseptic and disinfecting properties. Would you consider using toothpaste that contained penicillin, even if the dosage was low, on a daily basis? Would you consider taking it just in case you get an infection? How about an antifungal over-the-counter product on your foot, in case you get athletes foot? I’m sure the answer would be no, yet the thought never occurs to most people that tea tree oil should not be used on a daily basis. Since the oil may vary with regard to concentration, the actual amount ingested is unknown, since it is never listed. Tea tree oil is effective against specific colonies of microbials. When used daily, it may disrupt the normal bacterial population in the mouth.

Aloe vera is another widely used plant ingredient found in many personal care products. Most people would never question its use and would in fact, choose a personal care product just because it contained aloe vera. Yet, aloe vera is indicated for wound healing, bruises, cold sores and for a particular skin and mucous membrane eruption called lichen planus. It acts as a histamine blocker, antibacterial, and inhibits the synthesis of bradykinin, a chemical that forms when tissue is injured. Why then, would an average consumer use this ingredient on a daily basis through toothpaste, when healthy gums and teeth are present?

Another commonly found ingredient in “natural” toothpaste is echinacea. The medicinal properties associated with echinacea include the treatment of infections, the common cold, wound healing, burns and lower urinary tract infections. The warning with this herb is that it may increase white blood cells in persons undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Again, why use it without a valid reason?

Other ingredients of concern include sodium lauryl sulfate, a foaming agent with a side effect of drying the tissues. It is also a possible allergen. Saccharin, artificial colors and dyes are other potentially questionable ingredients often used daily in personal care products.

Simple, safe and effective ingredients that help support the body’s ability to maintain health and repair tissue are what make sense for toothpaste and mouthwash. Using products that contain medicinal herbs or ingredients without a physician or dentist’s advice makes no sense for a healthy mouth or body, especially since tissues under the tongue (sublingual) provide the location for the fastest means of absorption. Just because something is a chemical does not mean it is harmful to you, the same as just because something is an herb, it doesn’t mean it is helpful to you.

Finding a Needle in a Haystack
Are you one of those people who refuse to get needed dental treatment because you just can’t find a “good” dentist? Have you drifted from one dentist to another and still not found the one who you feel really “cares” about you? Finding the right dentist takes more than thumbing through the yellow pages and pointing to the first large ad that you see. Just what determines the qualities of the “right” dentist—their education, how long they’ve been in practice, the fact that someone recommended this doctor or how their office looks?

An important part of finding a dentist, or any other kind of health care practitioner, is the matter of personal “fit”. A friend or relative may have found “the best dentist in the world,” while you may simply not warm up to that person. As the Italians say, you’re not “simpatico.”

Location, Location, Location
A dental practice located within a five to ten mile radius of your home is reasonable. Distance is especially important if you have an emergency, because you’ll want to be able to see that dentist as soon as possible.

Services Offered
Dentists need to keep up with new research and new materials in order to provide proper information and provide up-to-date treatment options to solve oral care problems. And they must be capable of communicating with the patient. For example, you should be told of choices for filling materials, replacing missing teeth, and the use of non-surgical gum treatment versus the traditional surgical therapy.

Putting it All Together
Just where do you find a dentist that has all the qualities you need? Here are some suggestions:
• Start by asking friends, relatives and coworkers for referrals. But remember, just because that dentist worked well with another does not mean he or she will work well with you. The other choices are the yellow pages and local dental societies.
• Once you have a list of dentists, call their offices. Your first impression about the office begins with the receptionist. If the receptionist is willing and trained to answer questions, and you like what you hear, make an appointment to go for either an examination or just a consultation. If you don’t want to take the plunge and make that first appointment, ask the receptionist if you could just visit and possibly meet the dentist or pick up informational brochures. This visit may give you valuable clues about the office in general. Usually, first impressions give good insight into the overall picture.
• Once you’ve chosen a dentist and go for the appointment, begin with a minor treatment, unless you feel very comfortable about the dentist and the office as a whole, or require immediate treatment. People have contacted me from many parts of the country and asked me to provide referrals because they could not decide on dentists. In these cases, I recommend that they find a dentist temporarily, just to take care of the needed care, and keep looking for the dentist they finally want to work with for more extensive treatment.

Remember you are choosing someone to whom you will entrust your oral health and care, so take your time and choose wisely.

Flora Stay, D.D.S. For over twenty years Dr. Stay has helped thousands of individuals realize the importance of oral medicine to general health. As an author, university professor, with her own successful practice, her passion has been to educate the consumer.

Recognized as an experienced communicator in television, radio and print. She has had a weekly column in a Southern California newspaper for many years and has hosted her own radio show.

Dr. Stay is the president of Grace Products Inc., and has developed a line of oral health care products (http://www.cleure.com) that have been university tested and proven to be superior in quality and effectiveness. This has allowed her to not only educate the consumer on oral health, but provide the optimum tools needed to help prevent oral disease.