THE MOUTH-BODY CONNECTION TALK HOW DO I EXPLAIN IT TO MY KIDS?
Second, try to explain that our bodies are an ecosystem — everything is connected. Just like an eagle can fly across a wilderness and eat fish from many different ponds, lakes, and rivers, blood and bacteria in your body can travel many places. Eating healthy food helps give their body’s ecosystem the materials it needs to strengthen and grow, just like plants need sunlight. However, your ecosystem is threatened all the time. Brushing and flossing teeth will help wash away bacteria and help relieve inflammation, just like how rain puts out a fire. Third, acknowledge inflammation can lead to lots of problems. Although it might seem like a small side effect of not brushing your teeth, constant low-level inflammation can develop into lifelong problems. Some bacteria induce atherosclerosis, the hardening of arterial walls, and this leads to blockages. Here’s an easy way to explain this: Without regular care, your mouth will allow too many threats into your body’s ecosystem, and it will not be able to care for itself. But, with the
It’s rare for children to feel inclined to take care of their teeth right away. Although we often talk in this newsletter about the scary realities of the mouth-body connection, the consequences (such as heart disease) can be intimidating, difficult to understand, or simply not motivating. So, if you want to educate your children on the mouth-body connection, here are a few ways you could go about it. First, try to teach by example. Believe it or not, kids will notice your commitment to good oral hygiene. If oral care is important to you, many will also naturally assume that oral care should be important to them. It’s not always easy, of course. Kids may challenge your reasoning or act lazy when it comes to doing it themselves. However, your example can go further than you think. When kids are away from their parents and wonder how they’re supposed to act, they may find themselves emulating their parents’ good habits. Take heart in that!
right habits and by seeing a dentist regularly, you’ll never have to worry about this.
At Comfort Family Dental, we know it’s never easy to introduce these concepts to kids, but it’s always worth it. We hope these tips help, and if you need help getting your child more comfortable with their dental care, just let us know. We’re happy to help!
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No. 4: Be careful of your alcohol and/or sugary drink intake. When someone has a rough day, it’s common to offer them an alcoholic drink. This “prescription” may be best in very small doses, or not at all — it’s easy to go too far. Studies show that heavy drinking can lead to gum disease and even oral cancer. (“Heavy drinking,” in this case, is defined as more than the limit recommended by U.S. health officials: one drink per day for women and two per day for men.) Sugary drinks, such as sweet teas or carbonated drinks, can also create tremendous damage to your teeth. Along with creating enamel eating acids, did you know that sugar attracts bacteria that causes gingivitis and gum disease? And a high-sugar diet can causes your gums to recede and destroy your teeth’s protective tissues. Studies suggest that sugar has a negative effect on your mood long term. A 2017 study found that consuming a high-sugar diet can increase the chances of incident mood disorders in men, and recurrent mood disorders in both men and women. Plus, sugar weakens your body’s reaction to stress. It’s true that sugar can help you feel less frazzled for a little while, but that’s because it suppresses the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in your brain, which controls your response to stress. This temporary relief may make you more reliant on sugar, raising your risk of tooth decay, obesity, and many related diseases.
No. 5: Eat less sugar, but taper off slowly. Everyone struggles to eat less sugar, but especially people with mental health conditions. Why? Much like withdrawing from addictive substances, withdrawing from your regular amount of sugar consumption can cause side effects, including:
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anxiety
irritability confusion
fatigue
Dr. Uma Naidoo, considered the mood-food expert at Harvard Medical School, explained to Healthline, “Evidence in [studies] shows substantial parallels and overlap between drugs of abuse and sugar.” So, if you already have anxiety, going “cold turkey” on sugar might not be the best solution. Try to slowly implement low-sugar options into your daily routine, like sugar alternatives and flavored seltzer waters. I truly hope these tips help you or a loved one. If you think it’ll help someone, share this newsletter and let them know they can call our offices at any time. Our practice would be more than happy to give them the Comfort Family treatment.
– Dr. Corie Rowe
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