Looking after your kidneys as well as your oral health

It turns out that your Epping Dentist does much more for you than caring for your dental health – great though that is!

We used to think that brushing our teeth was just for keeping our teeth clean, but now we know it’s for more than that. We also clean them for the sake of our heart’s health and for lessening the impact of Type 2 Diabetes. And now we know it helps keep our kidneys healthy, too!

Apparently, there’s a two-way relationship between gum disease and chronic kidney disease (renal health). The people with chronic kidney disease with the worst oral inflammation from gum disease have the worst kidney function – and vice versa.

The latest research from the UK’s Birmingham University starkly confirmed the two-way relationship between chronic kidney disease and oral inflammation.

Note: if you really aren’t interested in scientific explanations, skip the next paragraph and pick up again at the short one after that …

The researchers discovered that both oral inflammation and kidney disease produce ‘oxidative stress’ – an imbalance between the body’s antioxidant cells and oxygen-producing free radicals. Free radicals are a natural by-product of various bodily processes but if they are not neutralized, they damage the body’s tissues. The antioxidant cells are supposed to neutralize the free radicals, so they can’t produce that damage.

What was really significant from a dental point of view was that the researchers found that a 10% reduction in gum inflammation benefits renal function.

In other words, to prevent gum inflammation, we are back to thorough, daily tooth cleaning and flossing! You can also bless your Epping Dentist for continually emphasizing how vital that is!

That means brushing your teeth three times a day with a tiny blob of fluoride toothpaste on a soft brush and flossing between your teeth once a day. That cleaning will remove any tiny food particles and bacteria stuck in the gaps and crevices around your teeth to avoid your gums and teeth becoming infected, i.e., inflamed.

And for good measure, go for regular check-ups with your Epping Dentist just to make sure your oral health regime is tip top.

To find out more, please click the link for an appointment for a consultation:

http://bit.ly/RawsonDental-Epping