Function of Teeth in Digestion
Adults should have 32 teeth, four of which are the wisdom teeth. These four wisdom teeth might not develop at all or may be pulled at anytime due to lack of space or other reasons. There are different sets of teeth and each set has a particular function. Teeth may be considered organs of chewing (mastication) and serve a very important function of the digestive process. Chewing food properly gives the signal to saliva to aid in the break down of certain carbohydrates.

The parts of the teeth that are visible are called crowns. The structure of the outer layer of the crown of teeth consists of a hard outer surface called enamel. This is the hardest substance in the human body.

• Molars have a large surface with pits and grooves that make them suitable for grinding food between opposing upper and lower molars. There are two molars in each of the four arches of the mouth. Molars are the last teeth in the mouth of each quadrant. There are actually three molars on each side, with the “3rd molar” being the wisdom tooth.
• Incisors, or the front teeth consist of sharp edges that are made for cutting food. There are six upper and six lower incisors. At the corner of each set of front teeth are the canines. These have long roots and are designed to tear food. The incisor teeth cut food and push it to the back teeth (molars and premolars) with the help of the tongue. The back teeth actually aid in the chewing and breaking down of food with their surfaces.
• Premolars are smaller than molars and help with the chewing process by crushing food. There are also two premolars in each quadrant of the mouth and they are situated in-between the molars and incisors.

How Saliva Starts the Digestive Process
When you eat food, it’s first mixed with saliva that is secreted by sets of glands. The three main salivary glands are the parotid, sub-mandibular and sublingual glands.

Parotid glands are located at the side of the face on the inside of your cheeks. They have an opening where the secretion occurs, called Stensen’s duct. It’s the largest of the salivary glands that helps with mastication and swallowing mostly of starches.

Submandibular glands are located on the inner side of the lower jawbone. This gland produces amylase to break down starches and mucous cells to help lubricate the throat.

Sublingual glands are located beneath the tongue. They produce mucin that helps promote the production of saliva. Most of saliva is produced during waking hours, and decreases while you sleep. If you wake up with dry mouth and morning breath, the reason is due to lower saliva production helping your oral hygiene. The sublingual glands function to help lubricate and bind food, which is needed for easy swallowing. Without adequate saliva with resulting dry mouth, swallowing can become difficult and increase the risk of choking as food gets lodged in the throat.

You Need Healthy Teeth to Chew And Digest Food
Anyone who has experienced a toothache knows it’s difficult to eat if you have pain. Misalignment, infection and missing teeth can all affect proper chewing, breakdown of foods and therefore, proper digestion.

Misaligned Teeth
The teeth are said to be in occlusion when they fit together ideally. That is, the upper fit slightly over the lower teeth and the cusp tips (pointy surfaces) of the molars fit the grooves of the opposing molars. Proper occlusion keeps the cheeks and lips from being bitten and the lower teeth protect the tongue and keep it in place.

If your teeth do not align ideally you have malocclusion. Heredity, poor childhood habits, such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, prolonged use of pacifier or bottle can be some of the causes of malocclusion.

Malocclusion may also have been the result of an injury or fracture of the jaw. Tumors can also cause malocclusion. Other causes can include ill-fitting dental fillings, crowns, and dentures.

Not replacing missing teeth in a timely fashion, can cause surrounding teeth to shift, bringing about misalignment of teeth. This malocclusion cannot only affect your appearance but also difficulty in biting or chewing foods. Misalignment of teeth cannot be underestimated and should be corrected.

Prevention
Your ability to chew your food properly is just as important as the quality of the food you eat. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends proper daily oral hygiene as the number one way to keep your teeth healthy. Flossing and brushing are the main tools that are needed. Below are some tips on how to properly keep your mouth clean and healthy for a beautiful smile and healthy digestion.

Oral Hygiene 101

Brushing and flossing properly is very important. If you quickly run a toothbrush over your teeth three times a day and floss quickly without properly cleaning under the gums, germs continue to cause harm to your teeth with resulting tooth decay, gum disease and even worse, lead to loose teeth. Ask your dental professional how to floss properly. But in summary, hold a small part of the floss between your fingers, and wrap the floss around each side of the tooth and gently extend it under your gums. Slow up and down movements will clean these areas that a toothbrush cannot reach. Use a clean piece of floss for each tooth. Floss first to release food and plaque stuck under the gums and between the teeth, and follow with brushing and rinsing.

Make sure to brush your gums as well as every side of every tooth. If you can’t brush after every meal, rinse with water or chew xylitol chewing gum. Brushing and flossing at night is crucial because saliva production slows down as you sleep, which means your mouth is more prone to attack by bacteria. Dry mouth can also be a problem and proper brushing and flossing can help prevent gum disease and tooth decay, which are typically more likely with reduced saliva.

Using effective toothpaste and mouthwash is very important. Baking soda toothpaste with xylitol is a good choice for toothpaste and mouthwash. The benefits of baking soda toothpaste are many including helping remove stains, to help make your teeth appear whiter.

Don’t think just because a product label says ‘natural toothpaste’ that it’s good for you. Many contain saccharin and/or sodium lauryl sulfate, which can actually cause dry mouth. For the best toothpaste and mouthwash use:

• Alcohol-free mouthwash—alcohol dries the mouth and changes the pH to what germs like. This is one reason drinking excessive alcoholic beverages is also bad for healthy mouth. Mouthwash with xylitol is excellent because it helps flow of saliva.
• Xylitol natural toothpaste and mouthwash—studies report xylitol has many benefits for a healthy mouth when used regularly in toothpaste, and especially in chewing gum. It helps promote saliva, which is good for dry mouth. It’s also been shown to help prevent tooth decay.

Take care of your teeth and gums with proper daily routine of brushing and flossing. Eat nutritious, healthy foods and your tummy will thank you.

The post How Your Teeth Affect Your Digestive System appeared first on Total Health Magazine.

Curious as to the exact cause of cavities and malformed dental arches that resulted in crooked, overcrowded teeth, Dr. Price began investigating a potential connection to diet and nutrition. Microscopes and laboratories were devoid of the answers he searched for. Dr Price felt that the most logical way to research was to observe different cultures. It was necessary to compare those societies that ate modern diets consisting mostly of processed and refined foods such as white flour products, sugar, white rice, canned foods, and fats with those that regularly consumed a more nutritious diet, and where most of the food was grown locally.

Over a ten-year period, Dr. Price traveled worldwide to accomplish his mission. He observed several primitive or non-developed cultures that had no contact with “civilization,” to learn, in depth, their health habits and physical development. During those years he studied, took photographs and described his findings about Swiss villagers, Irish fisherman, Eskimos, Indian tribes in Canada and the Florida Everglades, South Sea Islanders, Aborigines in Australia, Maoris in New Zealand, Peruvian and Amazonian Indians, as well as tribesmen in Africa. Dr. Price documented his findings and startling conclusions in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Weston Price is still regarded today by many nutrition researchers as the “Charles Darwin” of nutrition. And his book provides the origins and background of the relationship between the foods we eat and our health.

Dr. Price found that in the groups of people that did not live the fast-paced life or eat the processed foods typical of modern culture, rarely was there any tooth decay in children, dental crowding of teeth or malformed jaws. Crowding of teeth and malformed jaws resulted with the specialty we call Orthodontics, which focuses on correcting misaligned teeth.

In our modern society, adults are not the only ones at higher risk of disease from eating poorly; children are becoming increasingly obese and showing signs of diabetes as well as gum disease, normally not seen in the young. Soft drinks have replaced water and milk. Drinking sodas is the equivalent of bathing the teeth with sugar and acid. Many people have become addicted to soft drinks; it’s become like a drug. A habit that’s hard to break. Here are some startling statistics:

• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes 31 five-pound bags of sugar every year. We don’t get this right from a bowl of sugar, but mostly hidden in many kinds of foods such as cereals, sodas, yogurt, ketchup, canned vegetables, toppings, sweetened fruit juice, sports drinks, peanut butter, just to mention a few.
• Each 20-oz. soda contains 16 teaspoons of sugar.
• Sports drinks contain an average of 14 teaspoons of sugar.

The same practical, common sense rules that apply to why poor diet and eating habits are detrimental to general health should be used for oral health. Foods that lower the quality of our lives and increase the risk of disease do the same for tooth decay and gum disease. This is why the mouth can truly be a microcosm of the body as a whole, because it gives us a bird’s eye view of the inside of the body.

Studies show that if we eat sugar with a meal, it’s less damaging to the teeth than eating smaller quantities of sugar all day long. Unfortunately, we are constantly tempted with the abundance of types of food available that contain hidden sugars. And we tend to eat more for emotional reasons than to satisfy physical hunger. Food has become a poor substitute for emotional nourishment, and the types of food that feed our emotions are usually void of healthy nutrients.

Sugar and Your Health

Sugar is responsible for and can lead to tooth decay, obesity, and a weakened immune system. Technically speaking, there are many types of sugars. By far the best known and overused sugar is sucrose, which is found in large amounts in sugar cane and sugar beets. Those five-pound bags at the grocery store with the beautiful white crystals are pure sucrose, and that’s what everybody refers to as just plain table sugar.

Maple sugar is the sucrose-rich sap of the maple tree. Other common sugars are the fructose in ripe fruits and the lactose in milk. All sugars are sweet and fructose is even sweeter than sucrose.

Corn sweeteners have replaced sugar in most American prepared foods ever since it became politically incorrect to use Cuban sugar. While ripe ears of sweet corn contain some sugar, that is not the source of the corn sweeteners that you see on food labels. These sweeteners are made by using acids and enzymes to break down the cornstarch molecules which are made up of thousands of sugar molecules all joined together. In the body, most starches and sugars are further broken down into glucose, a fundamental sugar that can go directly into the blood stream and is our major source of energy.

Honey contains 40 percent sucrose (table sugar) and 60 percent fructose (fruit sugar). Because honey is sweeter than just table sugar, often less is used in a recipe; for example 3/4 cup of honey is the equivalent of one cup of table sugar.

Aspartame is made up of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. NutraSweet is the brand name of aspartame. A quart of diet cola contains about 100 milligrams of aspartame. Sorbitol and mannitol are sugars derived from alcohol. They are converted to fructose and glucose. They are low in calories, but if large amounts are ingested, they may produce a laxative or gaseous effect.

Saccharin has been controversial for many years. Studies have shown that it may cause bladder cancer. It is banned in Canada, but the Food and Drug Administration has approved it, albeit with a warning on the label indicating that saccharin may be hazardous to your health.

Stevia is a natural, non-caloric sweetener derived from a shrub in South America. It’s about 300 times sweeter than table sugar. It has yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an artificial sweetener because little is known about its long-term effects. Canada and the European Union (EU) do not allow stevia as a food additive. However, it has been used since the 1970s in Japan and other regions of the world. In the United States, stevia is sold only as a dietary supplement. It’s not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women due to lack of information.

In general, the use of sugar, whether white, brown, powdered, raw, artificial or in the form of honey, should be limited in your diet. Organic sugar or honey is the best form to use, since it has not been processed with dangerous chemicals or stripped of all its nutrients. All artificial sweeteners should be avoided.

At its most basic level, as the saying goes “we are what we eat,” and poor oral health often begins with what we put in our mouth as food. Our choices clearly aren’t always wise. In fact, an estimated three out of four Americans suffer from gum disease—a problem largely based on poor diet.

Healthy snacks for healthy mouths
The following are simple snacks to help feed your soul and your tummy:

• Celery with cheese or 1 tablespoon peanut butter.
• Vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini, and broccoli with dip made of non-fat yogurt and/or low fat sour cream seasoned with garlic powder, and your favorite seasoning. Also good with low fat blue cheese or ranch dressing.
• Fruit
• Rice cakes
• Frozen fruit bars with no added sugar (this can be home made with organic fruit juice).
• Unbuttered air popped popcorn
• Low or non-fat yogurt with your favorite fresh fruit added or plain.
• Low or non-fat cheeses
• A few nuts
• Home made smoothie made from your favorite fresh fruits including banana and low- or non-fat milk or soymilk.
• Hard boiled egg

Teeth—Love Them, or Lose Them

Picture a house of cards. Removing the good nutrition card at the base can make the whole assembly topple. Studies now indicate that poor nutrition can increase the production and secretion of stress hormones (glucocorticoids) and lower the secretion of insulin, among other hormonal changes. Stress plays an important role in a variety of illnesses as well as dental diseases. When people are under stress, they produce less saliva, which is very important to preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Poor diet also impact the level of the hormone glucocorticoids in the gums, so that gum tissue is unable to fight off inflammation. As a result, chronic gum inflammation fatigue and a general feeling of ill health overcome your body.

So the questions have to be asked: why is it that with the abundance of food and information on health available today, we still make poor choices? Why is it that having the ability to choose how and what we eat, and with the relative ease of choosing common sense healthy meals, we still decide not to exercise control and instead eat poorly? Why is it that we donft take care of our bodies the same way as we do the other things that are important to us?

Each of us has been gifted with one body and one mouth. Replacements are unavailable in this life. Each of us is capable of accomplishing anything we want in life, especially in America. By knowing that we can, and imagining what is possible, each of us is capable of becoming a healthy, happy person. Eating well is a vital part of staying healthy. Take a counter-offensive approach. We are surrounded by so many foods that are not healthy. Eat organic when possible. Take the simple steps towards modifying poor eating habits, so that you can make a major impact on your overall health.

The post Your Mouth: A Bird’s Eye View of Your Health appeared first on Total Health Magazine.