subject: Brushing a Day Keeps the Germs Away [print this page] This dentist's waking hours is spent on figuring out a cure for a disease which would be eliminated if only people would just brush their teeth. In addition, this dentist says that 28 million suffer from periodontitis or gum disease in the United States. This disease will make a lot of people lose their healthy teeth at an early stage. As what the director of the University of Washington's center for research in oral biology stated, the disease is not fatal but still, it affects most Americans wherein they allot $5 billion every year on dental care alone.
Research in electrical engineering and biochemistry as well as medicine and dentistry studies include the interdisciplinary fight against gum disease. Still, brushing and flossing of the teeth are the best preventive ways. The teeth are held in the bone by connective tissue called collagen. If the wirelike protein called collagen is disturbed, a person will develop plaque and will eventually lose teeth.
99 percent of microorganisms or bugs consist of plaque. Inflammation is induced in the gums and in the supporting structure beneath. The bacteria colonizes on the surface of the teeth and without proper brushing and dental flossing they soon expand into mini states, maxi nations and join together as tooth conquerors.
But because a lot of people won't brush their teeth, the public's need for a cure increases and the research for it continues. Recently, reports came from Europe of a mouthwash which controls plaque growth and destroys bacteria.According to the dentist, it was in World War II when the British used bactericide chlorohexidine to cleanse surgical equipment. It was applied as a mouthwash by a Danish scientist but this substance appeared to have a couple of drawbacks. The news was terribly exciting, but this drug stains the teeth black after a while quite badly. It also causes a temporary loss of taste, he said.
Other than the effects mentioned earlier, a more serious problem would be the potential of inducing cancer. We don't know what the reason is because it was safe when we used to take in drugs with this kind of structure and also inject it in animals, and now it induces cancer. And there is yet another problem with the drug. Your mouth can be too clean.Let's say that all the bugs are killed by sterilizing your mouth.
In reality, our entire gastrointestinal tract contains bugs. Because of these bugs, we are able to have a smooth digestion, a sound human system metabolism, and enjoy a bunch of Vitamin K.Even if we could get a drug that selectively killed plaque forming bacteria, I don't know if it would be good or bad. Personally, I will put my money at stake on bacteria which could overcome drugs. Virtually all gum disease is brought on by neglect. Mere brushing of the teeth actually works if they only do it. The disease can be cured if they will just do it. But I don't think the public will actually do something about it.
