When I was in the Air Force the most elite human beings were pilots. These men and women had optimum oral health and overall health. They were at peak mental capacity because they needed to focus on the mission.
What is optimization? It’s functioning at the peak level of efficiency. A clean engine is more reliable. A high-performance race car runs faster with high test fuel. Our bodies are no different.
We have heard that people in the Mediterranean are healthier and live longer. It is a perfect balance of an organic, nutrient dense diet, exercise and a low stress lifestyle.
It’s not just genetics, it is the environment as well. Lifestyle is arguably much more important than genetics. Smoking for example is a choice people make that changes their environment and creates unnecessary burden. Overeating, excessive alcohol consumption, a sedentary lifestyle, to name a few, all create wear and tear on our organs such as the liver, brain, heart, lungs and gastrointestinal tract.
How does the mouth tie in to longevity? Studies show that dental frailty leads to overall body frailty. Multiple missing teeth are a predictor of morbidity, poor health and increased mortality. On the other hand, when people have a full set of teeth and a healthy mouth, they have increased longevity.
Gum disease is within the top 5 most common diseases in America. It is an inflammatory process that contributes to trans ischemic accidents (TIAs), cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, autoimmune inflammatory diseases and arthritis. It’s no wonder why orthopedic surgeons and cardiologists require certain patients with artificial joints and heart valves to pre-medicate with antibiotics prior to dental cleanings. The mouth is a portal to the cardiovascular systems and the millions of bacteria that live in it have access to the bloodstream and, in turn, the rest of the body. Frequent professional dental cleanings decrease inflammation. Flossing has been shown to show a significant decrease in C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the body.
Have you ever had a toothache or mouth pain? It affects your mood, appetite, GI system, muscles in your head and neck, ears, all your senses. It’s debilitating. That’s called acute pain. What about the chronic, nagging, low grade infection in your mouth? If something is festering in there wouldn’t you want to identify it early and treat it? Impacted wisdom teeth, failing root canals, hidden cysts or oral cancers, HPV; all of these can be identified early and treated. Small problems = small solutions.
I love preventative, proactive treatment. For example, if you have a small chip in your windshield, they can inject resin into it to prevent it from propagating into a large crack that would lead to a windshield replacement.
By identifying genetic and environmental predispositions and using advanced diagnostics we can prevent oral triggers from initiating diseases. With a good oral hygiene regimen we can prevent unnecessary bio burden from affecting our body. Survival of the fittest applies here.
Let’s look at mercury toxicity. Imagine if you are sensitive or allergic to something in your mouth that you are unaware of and can’t get rid of. Part of your immune system will always be busy and distracted managing this and keeping it at bay, thus lowering efficiency and decreasing immune function.
A strategy for health is managing toxicity and deficiency by detox and nutrient supplementation.
Jimmy Kilimitzoglou, DDS, FACD, FPFA, DABOI, MAGD, FAAID, FICOI
ESI Healthy Dentistry
42 Terry Road, Smithtown, NY 11787
Tel (631) 979 7991 / Fax (631) 979 7992 dental@esihealthydentistry.com
www.esihealthydentistry.com
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