Are You Taking Care of Your Gums? The Mouth-Body Connection To Health

Today, we are sharing a bit of a unique topic – healthy gums and healthy mouth. We are sharing this because proper dental care can lead to major health benefits, but improper care or neglect can lead to health issues that will ultimately cost quite a bit of money. 

 

The best way to save money is by preventing issues in the first place. Now although this won’t solve all of your problems, combined with a healthy overall lifestyle and diet, you could save yourself some unnecessary medical expenses in the future.  It is a time and financial investment in yourself. We have tried to apply this same idea and principles to many areas of our life, not always choosing the immediately cheapest option, but instead making thoughtful financial decisions in hopes of long-term financial benefit, including that of health. 

My Gum Struggle

In the past, I personally had struggled with receding gum lines and gingivitis because my dentist told me that I had not been able to get the gum line clean enough and thus exposed the roots. It was a very painful problem and receding gum lines do not heal, but you can prevent them from further receding. 

Since then, I had performed quite a dental routine to help manage the receding gum lines. I am quite happy with my routine and have not had continual problems since changing things up. But is was quite an extensive routine to help clean my mouth fully, including my gum line.

Had I known that I simply needed to find a dental routine that took care of my gums and prevent gingivitis, I could have been saving myself a lot of headache and suffering now. I just figured that if I got the cheapest paste, cleaning the teeth was cleaning the teeth. I did the cheapest possible routine and then I paid for it later. 

The Mouth-Body Connection

We tend to focus on teeth health, including the importance of flossing, but perhaps, just as important is the question of “are we taking care of our gums well enough?” 

Your mouth and gums are the door into the rest of your body. In fact, Harvard Health shared this article on why your gum health is so important. 

Gum Disease comes in the form of periodontal disease and is essentially an inflammation of the gums from the bacteria in our mouths. But not all bacteria is bad! In fact, this Harvard Health article says this about the bacteria in our mouths: 

“Like our intestines, our mouths house complex ecosystems of bacteria, known as the oral microbiome. And as in the gut, different types of bacteria compete for space. When all the species are in balance, the gums are protected from disease-causing bacteria. Disturbing this balance provides an opening for pathogens to invade, causing periodontal disease, which further disrupts the bacterial balance.”

So it’s important to kill the bad bacteria. In fact, it’s the bad bacteria that lead to inflammation in the mouth, thus causing gum disease. 

According to Dr. Thomas Van Dyke, chair of the Department of Applied Sciences at Harvard-affiliated Forsyth Institute, “Yesterday we used to think that bacteria destroyed tissue; today scientists understand that it’s inflammation caused by the bacteria that destroys tissue.”

You may be like me a few years ago and not really wonder what the big deal is with inflammation of the gums, other than sensitivity and pain in the mouth. Well, according to researchers, since your mouth is the window to your body, along with similar function of “gut bacteria” it can lead to a whole host of problems. 

That same Harvard Health article shares this: 

“Over the years, people with perio-dontal disease have been found to be at higher risk for cardiovascular dis-ease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, pregnancy complications, and dementia. We don’t yet know if periodontal disease actually causes other health problems, or if people with chronic health issues have more difficulty taking care of their teeth and gums. “It’s an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship, says Dr. Van Dyke. “But inflammation, which plays a role in all these conditions, seems to be the link.”

Moreover, the association probably works both ways. For example, diabetes research has determined that successfully treating periodontitis reduces the severity of diabetes and vice versa.”

You can also read more about the mouth-body connection in these articles:

• MayoClinic
• WebMD

A Toothpaste Focused on Gums?

The good news is that we just learned about a new product from Crest that is specifically focused on the gums and gum health – Crest Gum Detoxify. 

This toothpaste specifically intrigued me because of the Gum Detoxify benefit and focus. Gums are the underrated, silent key to dental health. I am glad the toothpaste industry is finding the need to solve a dental problem – focus on the gums!  

Crest Gum Detoxify toothpaste is a specially formulated paste with Activated Foam technology that reaches below the gum line to significantly improve gum health, leading to clinically proven healthier gums.

The new paste has superior technology to neutralize harmful bacteria, even below the gum line.

This complete coverage of teeth and gums ensures an even, all over clean.

In fact, in studies with gingivitis patients, 99% of these gingivitis patients showed reduced gum bleeding and inflammation in eight weeks after using Crest Gum Detoxify. You can learn more at Crest.com. You can also like Crest on Facebook and Instagram or follow @Crest on Twitter to receive updates, coupons and learn more about oral health. 

I just learned about it and found it at Sam’s Club for a super price. It retails for $6.97 at other stores, but Sam’s Club sells it in a bundle of four tubes for $19.98, effectively making them only $4.99 a tube. But right now, you can get another $2 off the bundle through June 3rd, 2018 at Sam’s Club, effectively making them only $4.50 a tube.  It’s not the cheapest toothpaste, but it solves a problem that many toothpastes lack and dental health leads to overall health, thus it is a bargain. 

It is a classic white paste that DOES foam up like the product claims.

My teeth and gums have a slight tingle and cooling feeling, and feel oddly cleaner than they have for a while. It was a pleasant taste, not overpowering.  It is far easier and ultimately cheaper than the routine I have been doing for my receding gums and gum health. 

What does this have to do with being thrifty?

I wanted to bring up this question because of how we define being thrifty. We define being thrifty, not as being cheap, but using your money as wisely as possible. Cheap can often lead to more expense. If you buy cheap products, you have a more investment over time. 

Health is the same way. Invest in your health for long-term health and financial benefits. Medical expenses are debilitating for so many, so if you can spend your money in a wiser way for an overall, long-term benefit and not just doing the immediate cheap thing, you will be better off overall. Your mouth should be a top health priority. It is one of the more affordable, preventative approaches you can take to your health. 

Do Something For Your Gums

So this is an encouragement to re-evaluate your dental health, and if Crest Gum Detoxify fits into that routine, then we have just shared with you how to do that for less. 

I will still probably do my oil-pulling and homemade hydrogen peroxide mouthwash, but I did use this toothpaste to give it a try with those two remaining parts of my routine.  

It’s worth a try if you need to shake up your dental routine, especially if you are concerned about gum health! 

This is a sponsored post written by me. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please note, we are not dentists or medical professionals, these are just our thoughts and opinions on this topic. Consult your own dentist for specific measures for gum disease.