gum

4 ways your teeth change as you age

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While one should not generalize, it could be said that one of the most obvious ways in which the elderly are affected by the aging process is through their mouth. While wrinkles and similar skin complaints often grab the headlines, the teeth, gums and everything around this area is also affected. This isn’t any coincidence – the aging process does impact these areas more than others. Like it or not, the human body hasn’t evolved to that of a dinosaur, who were historically able to regrow teeth whenever they required. Bearing this in mind, today’s article will take a look at four of the biggest ways your teeth change as you enter your latter years. Your mouth becomes drier We’re not going to get into the in’s and out’s of why your mouth is dry, there are all sorts of … Read more

Chewing Gum Linked to Headaches

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An interesting study and findings regarding a link between headaches and gum chewing has come from Tel Aviv University. The article was published in Pediatric Neurology and looked at 30 patients between 6 and 19 with chronic headache and who were big gum chewers. The patients were told to stop chewing gum. After 1 month, nineteen of the patients had their headache go away and 7 additional patients in the group had a decrease in the severity and frequency of their headaches. Twenty six of the patients were then told to go back to chewing gum like they used to and they all said their previous symptoms returned within days. The researchers speculate that temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction may be the likely trigger at bay. The researchers believe that TMJ overuse is causing the headaches. Other possibilities were suggested such as … Read more

Herbs in Dentistry

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In a previous blog post I talked about Using Adaptogens to Help Reduce Stress and discussed 8 different herbs that were reviewed in a 2010 journal article to help reduce stress. The use of herbs is also beneficial for migraine, for example, see this post Daily Preventative Therapies Can Reduce Migraine. Recently I came across the article “Herbs in Dentistry: Evidence-based herbal medicine” appearing in Dental Abstracts, vol. 57, issue 6, pp. 305-307, 2012. The article mentions the use of echinacea mouthwash which when combined with peppermint oil, sage, menthol, and chamomile is effective in gingivitis and periodontal disease. Further, this combination has shown to be effective against colds and flu. The article mentions the possible use of aloe vera  “Aloe vera gel is as effective as prednisolone and indomethacin, without these agents’ long-term toxicity… Uses of aloe vera include … Read more