Make That Dental Appointment!

"Every time people are in for their checkups, we do a thorough look around the mouth, face and neck. Screening for oral cancer is an important part of the overall screening that we do. Even if someone says they have a sore tooth, we do a thorough once-around because it's important to see the forest for the trees." "Medical history, such as cancer in the family, or habits such as smoking, drinking and spending time in the sun are important."                                                       "HPV is also on the rise, with warts possibly turning into cancer."                           "It's simple things that can make such a difference. Make sure you protect your lips from the sun, limit your drinking, don't smoke, and ensue you have a nutritious diet. Also, it's important to do checkups routinely and get X-rays because we have to see the bones to ensure nothing has developed. Of course, the sooner cancer is diagnosed, the better."                                                                                                     Mark McCullough, Capital Dentistry clinics, Ottawa-Gatineau 

Using a VELscope to detect oral cancer during a dental exam.

"Taking the patient's detailed history also includes asking about the duration of the presentation, whatever it may be, if any sort of symptoms, pain, swelling and loss of sensation."                                                                                                          "But it's important to note that oral cancer isn't common, so if I see a white lesion on the cheek, I'm more likely to think it's an autoimmune issue."                Dr.Timothy Winlow, Capital Dentistry, Gatineau, Quebec

Oral cancer*

Signs and symptoms

• White or dark red patches in your mouth, or on your lips or tongue.
• Lumps or changes in the texture or colour of the mouth tissues.
• Bleeding or numbness in the mouth; sores or patches that do not heal.
• Difficulty swallowing; changes in taste or tongue sensation.

Risk factors

The actual cause of oral cancer is not known but risk factors include:

• Consumption of tobacco products (cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, etc).
• Heavy alcohol consumption (It is especially dangerous to combine smoking and alcohol.)
• Oral sex
• Prolonged, repeated exposure of the lips to the sun.
• Poor diet; genetics and gender (more men develop the disease than women.)
• A history of leukoplakia - a thick, whitish-colour patch inside the mouth.

Diagnosis and treatment

Treatment depends on the severity and location of the disease, as well as the age and health of the patient. If oral cancer is suspected:

• A biopsy (surgical removal and microscopic examination) of the suspicious area may be taken.
• Imaging tests such as X-rays, ultra sounds, CT scans or MRIs may be taken.
• Chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery may be necessary to remove tumor(s).

To help prevent oral cancer:

• See your dentist regularly for dental exams and ask about oral cancer screenings.
• Stop using tobacco products - ask your dentist about tools to help you quit.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Limit sun exposure and use U/V protective lip balms.
• Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.
• Check your mouth regularly for signs or symptoms and report any changes in your mouth to your dentist right away.    Canadian Dental Association
  

White or dark red patches in the mouth or on the lips or tongue, lumps or changes in the texture or colour of mouth tissue, bleeding or numbness in the mouth, sores or patches that fail to heal, swallowing difficulty, changes in taste or tongue sensation can all be symptoms of oral cancer. Along with diagnosing a disease such as cancer it is not only spotting these abnormalities, but taking note of personal medical history that helps to determine whether cancer may be present.

In 2020, an estimsted 5,400 Canadians will have been diagnosed with oral cavity cancer, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Cancer cells, undetected, have the potential to spread from the mouth to other parts of the body. Metastasis can affect the muscle surrounding he mouth, lymph nodes in the neck, bone surrounding the mouth, the liver, lungs and the brain. Should a dentist suspect the presence of cancer, they can perform a biopsy, or alternately send the patient elsewhere for a biopsy and additional testing.

Preventive measures to take steps ensuring that all that could be done to prevent the onset of cancer through modified lifestyle choices represent the first line of defence; taking steps to reduce the potential  through proper diet, avoidance of tobacco, excess alcohol consumption, protection from too great sun exposure and regular dental appointments as recommended for good dental hygiene. Cancer detection is not the only disease that dental inspection of the mouth is capable of ferreting out, however.

Many people are unaware of the symptoms of diabetes and as a result are unable to treat this chronic condition that can have such a huge impact on their lives. Untreated diabetes is implicated in long-term harms such as affecting eyesight, neuropathy, kidney function, leading as well to heart conditions, along with other bodily systems including a propensity to developing periodontal disease, an infection of the gums and bones, weakening the structure that holds teeth in place. 

"If the diabetes is uncontrolled, people will end up with poor blood circulation, which includes reduced circulation in the oral environment, so there is more of a chance of the body not having a defense against bacteria."                                    "If bacteria from gum infections, enters the blood stream, it also has the potential to worsen or increase the risk of other health issues." Mark McCullough

The American Dental Association reports research suggesting that treating gum disease can aid in improving blood sugar control in people living with diabetes, thus helping to diminish the disease progression impacting the eyes, nerves and heart. Dentistry plays a detection role as well in recognizing other problematical health conditions like vitamin B12 deficiency, syphilis, herpes, HPV, and mental health disorders causing self-injury, bulimia and drug use.

 

Proactive Anti-Oral Health Remedy : Red Wine -- Indulge! ?

"Traditional therapies used for the maintenance of oral health present some limitations, and the search of natural-origin therapies is gaining attention."
Spanish researchers

"Mouthwashes and chewing gums have been proposed as interesting matrices for the application of dietary polyphenols in the management of oral health."
"We tested concentrations in the range normally found in wine - 50 and 10 g/ml."
"Working with cells that model gum tissue we found the two wine polyphenols - caffeic and p-coumaric acids - were generally better than the total wine extracts at cutting back on the bacteria's ability to stick to the cells."
"When combined with Streptococcus dentisani the polyphenols were even better at fending off the pathogenic bacteria."
Dr. Victoria Moreno-Arribas, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid

"It's wonderful, important work. Pretty well every university involved in oral health research is looking at ways to interrupt the process by which plaque adheres and causes dental damage."
"[A test-tube study] is miles from being a product that can be helpful in the real world. But that's how scientific breakthroughs are made."
"The ultimate goal would be to have a rinse or toothpaste or some other dental product that would do both [keep bacteria from adhering to teeth or render it incapable of causing disease]."
"If you remove that sticky layer [conventionally; brushing and flossing at least once daily] nothing else adheres. [Briefly washing red wine alternatively through one's teeth would have little effect] And you still have the alcohol content and other things in wine. I don't think we know what the long-term effects would be."
Dr. Larry Levin, president, Canadian Dental Association

"It's important not to brush your teeth immediately after drinking wine, because the wine is acidic [again, red, white, rosé and even Champagne] and so the enamel can be temporarily softened [wait 30 minutes after your last glass and then brush]."
"We always advise patients to swish around with water in between glasses of wine [to avoid having the acid settle on the teeth]."
Dr. Sivan Finkel, eNews

Chemicals in wine have been found to combat mouth bacteria that potentially causes gum disease   Getty

This week a study produced by a Spanish team of researchers was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The study discovered two polyphenols in red wine to have antioxidant effects appearing to aid in preventing plaque-causing bacteria from forming the sticky films on teeth and gums that we know as plaque, the plague of teeth hygiene maintenance. These natural compounds, according to the researchers, are capable of producing results superior to the conventional methods used in dental hygiene, promoted by the medical-dental community.

How the polyphenols work to reduce the stickiness of accumulated bacteria is unknown as yet. Others in the field caution that the experimental doses appeared much higher in concentration than would normally occur when drinking wine. This is, however, clearly an important step forward in the search for protocols that would aid in combating tooth decay. Cavities and gum disease leading to tooth loss affect 60 to 99 percent of the global population. The bacterial plaque comprised of colonies of bacteria are stubbornly difficult to destroy.

This same Spanish team of researchers earlier grew laboratory cultures of cavity-causing bacteria, then proceeded to immerse the biofilms in various liquids. Red wine turned out the clear winner in destroying the bacteria. Furthermore as the researchers manipulated cells mimicking gum tissue, they discovered two red wine polyphenols in particular; caffeic and p-Coumaric acid to be a vast improvement over total wine extracts in their capacity to disrupt porphyromonas gingivalis and other like bacteria from sticking to gums.

With the addition of 'friendly' bacteria (probiotics) the decay-preventive effects were even more pronounced. The working hypothesis seems to be that metabolites forming when polyphenols are digested in the human mouth may play a vital role. From this important data extracted thus far it is hoped that new treatments may be discovered using these findings as a base. The universal search by scientists for new protocols to keep bacteria from adhering to teeth and gums causing disease has been given a huge boost.

Bottoms up! And rinse afterward. Wait awhile, and brush your teeth....

There are however risks associated with drinking wine due to its acidic content   Getty