Your Teeth—A Picture of Your Health

Without realizing it, we judge people by their smiles. Your teeth are the first thing nearly half of everyone you meet notices about you.

“Teeth whitening” has between 100,000 and 1 million searches on Google each month. People search for what is important to them. And nearly everyone wants a nice, white, Hollywood-type smile.

Sadly, the dental industry often has patients who want a nice white smile but whose real necessity is keeping their teeth from falling out! Their gum disease is so advanced, their teeth are waving in the wind!

I remember wondering as a child what keeps our teeth in the jaw. No one explained oral anatomy to me in grade school, or at home—and my dad was a dentist! I only learned about it in dental school when I trained to become a dental hygienist.

Since then, I have explained this simple concept to children as young as eight—and they get it!

How Your Teeth Stay in Your Mouth

The most important part of your dentition (oral structures) is the foundation. Even the Bible tells us that a house will stand if it’s built on a solid foundation of rock, but will wash away on sand. Matt. 7:24, 25. It needs something strong to keep it in place.

What is the mouth’s foundation? It’s made up of three components:

1. Bone: Your jawbone is composed of the same elements as all other bones in your body.

2. Gingiva: The tissue that covers the outside of the bone is known as gingiva, which forms your gums. Early gum disease is called gingivitis. But this means nothing if you don’t know the difference between the gingivitis that we hear about in TV toothpaste commercials and the periodontal disease discussed in the dental office.

3. Periodontal ligament: The tooth socket is lined with the periodontal ligament—a very special kind of ligament not found anywhere else in the body. It looks like tiny trampoline springs under a microscope. When you chew, your tooth actually bounces up and down and side to side, ever so slightly. There is some “give.” This is why sometimes it’s hard to get the floss between two teeth one day, but not the next. The teeth have shifted slightly.

These ligaments are tightly packed together and suspend your tooth in the socket, reaching from the root surface to the wall of the bone socket. Bacterial disease in this lining is what’s been found to be so invasive to your entire body, compromising your health and longevity.

The US Centers for Disease Control reports that nearly half (42 percent) of all adults aged 30 years and older have advanced gum disease. About 8 percent of adults are affected by severe gum disease, which infects the socket and destroys the ligament and the bone of the socket itself.¹ A staggering 70.1 percent of adults 65 years and older have disease of the periodontal ligament.² Advanced gum disease is called periodontitis, periodontal disease, or “perio” for short, among dental professionals.

Globally, periodontal diseases are highly prevalent and can affect up to 90 percent of the worldwide population.³ I have seen this firsthand in Kenya and Nepal, where I do regular dental mission trips.

Is Your Smile Hiding a Grave Condition?

Having a beautiful smile isn’t enough. Your teeth could still kill you! There are 57 diseases hypothesized to be associated with gum disease.⁴ Most people have no idea gum disease can potentially exacerbate the development of several cancers: kidney, pancreatic, blood, oral, tongue, breast, lung, upper gastrointestinal, and colorectal, to name just a few.⁵

There are approximately 800 species of bacteria identified in the oral cavity.⁶ These create a byproduct in their life processes that is toxic and irritating to your blood, organs, and your entire body. This toxin allows the blood vessels in the area of oral infection to become permeable, and the microorganisms, which are causing the local havoc, enter the bloodstream, spreading their toxic little selves throughout your entire body.

One study used a large US national sample and found that men and women aged 25 to 74 years old with periodontitis had a 46 percent increased risk for mortality from all causes. They noted an increased risk of death associated with periodontal status, regardless of smoking or other risk factors.⁷ Subjects with the deepest average probing pocket depths were found to be at 74 percent higher risk of death.⁸

So yes, you can get your teeth whitened and capped—but the foundation may be weak and diseased, infecting your blood and slowly killing you.

We have heard since childhood that our health is greatly affected by our daily lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, drinking enough water, smoking, and alcohol. But as you have now learned, caring for your teeth and gums can have a greater effect than anyone ever thought. Most people brush the same as when they were four years old.

I see this a lot in the 40 years I have been in practice as a hygienist. Just this week I had a 13-year-old girl with very heavy black tartar buildup under the gums, extremely swollen and red gingivae that were very loose and flappy, and disease that had penetrated and destroyed the “tiny trampoline springs” between her back molars.

Treatment and Prevention

After showing her what her condition was, I removed the worst of it between the teeth so I could measure just how much and where her bone disease was located. We rescheduled her for an appointment time when I could anesthetize her and move the tissue out of the way, cleaning her roots of these hardened bacteria.

She isn’t going to lose any teeth. She’s just 13. But it’s very likely she has a predisposition towards gum disease. I showed her how to use her toothbrush more effectively, angling it into the gums, and gently wiggling it on just two teeth at a time.  If she focuses on where the tissue was very red and enlarged over her lower front teeth, the gum health should bounce back in no time. If a person is in relatively good overall health, the mouth heals very quickly.

Maintaining a healthy smile is not only about aesthetics but also about overall well-being. A bright, beautiful smile leaves a lasting impression on those we meet, often serving as a reflection of our health and happiness. As we’ve explored, the foundation of oral health is critical in preventing various health issues, making regular dental care and hygiene essential. Remember, it’s not just the color of your teeth that matters; it’s the health that lies beneath it. By prioritizing your dental care, you not only enhance your appearance but also safeguard your health, ensuring that your smile is the radiant and memorable feature it’s meant to be.