Dental disease is a label. Just as cardiovascular disease is a label. Rheumatoid arthritis is a label. Multiple sclerosis is a label. Let's stop with the labels and get to the causes.
Disease labels
The medical field puts labels on all disease states. These labels define how the disease manifests in the body. There are specific signs and symptoms that define specifically named diseases. However, the label says nothing about what really has caused this specific disease. Most of these diseases are chronic, meaning the following:
Alvin Danenberg, DDS.- They last a long time.
- They do not resolve by themselves.
- They frequently have various factors that give rise to the disease.
As you know, many chronic diseases are also autoimmune. Dental diseases, for the most part, are chronic ones. These includes gum disease and tooth decay. Gum disease generally is further subdivided into gingivitis (gum infection) and periodontitis (infection that is destroying the jawbone surrounding the roots of teeth).
However, the labels of gingivitis, periodontitis, and tooth decay don't identify what has happened to the body to cause these diseases.
The gut
Science has shown that most of these chronic diseases originate from something that happens in the gut. Genetic factors may determine what kinds of chronic diseases eventually occur, but the first damage seems to be related to something that happens in the gut that is not supposed to happen.
Harmful bacterial overgrowth in the gut is one of the factors that occurs before chronic disease becomes a problem. Damage to the lining of the gut, which is only one-cell layer thick, is another factor that causes chronic disease. Almost all autoimmune diseases are ultimately related to damage in the gut before they emerge in the human body. Gum disease has been identified to some extent to be an autoimmune disease.
Betrayal series
Chiropractor Tom O'Bryan, DC, and 85 other healthcare professionals have come together to create a series of videos about how autoimmune disease can be traced back to damage starting in the gut. It's called the "Betrayal Series" and made its free debut on November 14, 2016. The total viewing time for all seven episodes is about nine hours. This series is an excellent educational tool to help you understand the relationship between your gut and the rest of the body, including the mouth.
The bottom line is that a compromised immune system and virulent changes of the natural bacteria in the mouth can be traced back to damage created in the gut. Specific foods your patients eat and various toxic substances they ingest are instrumental in causing damage to the gut.
Dental disease, including gum disease and dental decay, could be significantly improved if the gut's damage is understood and lifestyle changes are implemented to heal the gut.
A version of this column first ran on Dr. Danenberg's blog. DrBicuspid.com appreciates the opportunity to reprint it.
Alvin Danenberg, DDS, practices at the Bluffton Center for Dentistry in Bluffton, SC. He is also on the faculty of the College of Integrative Medicine and created its integrative periodontal teaching module. He also spent two years as chief of periodontics at Charleston Air Force Base earlier in his career. His website is drdanenberg.com.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
