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Tooth Decay Is a Stress Disease!

You cannot be serious!
This is how many of my patients react when I tell them that tooth decay is a stress disease. It seems so far away from stress as a concept that it sounds absurd! How can you possibly connect the rotting of teeth with this ‘stress’ idea. Stress is probably the most talked about subject in popular health literature as well as increasingly in the more academic health literature. This is for very good reason. People have rightly begun to associate levels of stress in modern times with ill-health. People have noticed that stress not only affects the quality of our lives but have also contributes to the deterioration of the quality of our health in general. ‘Stress-related’ illness has become a password for modern times, - the bane of modern living.

Stress relates to feelings.

What is Stress?
As is common with subjects that get a lot of airing, all sorts of notions can get mixed in with the discussion and misunderstandings become very commonplace.

In one sense it is extremely difficult to define exactly what is stress. Many definitions of stress have been put forward and some have become fashionable. Unfortunately the fashionable ones, usually the most accepted, are often the least accurate.

The most obvious example of this misunderstanding is equating stress with “busyness “ or being too busy. This allows us to blame our circumstances (job, family, etc.) and we may feel we can do nothing about it. Yet we all know that it is perfectly possible to be extremely busy but perfectly at ease with our situation. Indeed we have all been in situations where although we have had a lot to do, we nonetheless feel happy and content with our lot.

Stress relates to feelings. If you are very busy, you might feel very happy that your business is flourishing. But if you are very busy and you feel that this is being caused unfairly by another who is not carrying his duties as he should, you might feel resentment at the amount of work that you are being asked to do. In both situations you are very busy but in one case you are feeling happy and in the other you are feeling deep resentment. You could say that stress is really an expression of our emotional well being. Stress then could be said to be any form of negative emotion or feeling such as fear, worry, doubt, anxiety, bitterness, regret, frustration, resentment, anger, rage etc.

And what has all that that to do with my rotten tooth, pray tell? Science tells us that the major factor in tooth decay is what they call ‘sugar frequency’. This is the number of times per day that we put sugar (sweet things) into the mouth. Each time we use sweet, the carbohydrate (sugar) is broken down into acid by the bacteria in the mouth. The acid environment thus produced tends to demineralize the enamel (or dentine) of the tooth. By repeatedly and or constantly producing the acid environment for the teeth, defects are created in the tooth surface. These defects are populated by bacteria which thrive in the acid conditions and the cavity (decaying defect) is produced. The process continues and the cavity gets bigger.

But what has that to do with stress? Ask yourself, why do you think a person would tend to have a high frequency of carbohydrate in their daily diet? What does the scientific term ‘high frequency’ translate to, in human terms? Simply put the high frequency is a dependence, a kind of addictive behaviour or habit. The person uses sugar (sweet) as a means of comfort or reward.

Naturally then, when we are feeling upset, hurt or under pressure in some way (stressed) we are much more likely to feel the need to comfort ourselves. And obviously if sweet things are what we use to comfort ourselves then our ‘sugar frequency’ will be high. It is that simple! Such is the simple direct relationship between stress and tooth decay.

Stress (feelings of discomfort or upset) leads to increased desire for sweet things which leads to an increase in ‘frequency of carbohydrate’ in the diet and the ‘high frequency’ of carbohydrate (sugar) in the diet provides the acid conditions that allow the formation of the defects in the tooth and the initiation of the decay process.

My name is Philip Christie. I qualified as a Dental Surgeon at Trinity College, Dublin (Ireland) in 1980 and completed a Master’s Programme in Dental Science, again at Trinity College Dublin, by research in 1995. I have been working full time in dental care either in general practice or specialist practice since qualification. My main interest is and always has been prevention.

My real qualification is 23 years experience in dealing with real people and their problems face to face, as a clinical practitioner.

I am the author of “Something To Chew On: A Mouth Map To Health”. It is a Health Manual with a difference. Different because it is designed for the future and for success. It is different because it gives the power back where it belongs, to the person’s own self. Different because it prevents problems at source and saves on treatment and cost!

Understanding toothbrush damage saves you trouble and saves you money.

Your Magnificent Mouth

Do you know your mouth?
Dental and medical experts describe the mouth as a chewing device whose main function is the ingestion and mastication of food that keeps the body alive. The fancy name that they give to this is the masticatory system which simply means chewing system. No one can deny that this is one of the mouth’s functions and an important one at that. But how this underrates and devalues a truly wondrous organ, - your magnificent mouth. Come with me on a short sightseeing tour and experience your mouth as so much more than a chewing device!!

What is Your Mouth?
Go to the nearest mirror and offer yourself a little time out to observe. Just allow a few minutes of time and space to reflect on your reflection. Look at your mouth in the mirror and allow me to guide you on a tour of self discovery...

Open your mouth and see the gateway to your deepest organs of digestion providing nutrients to the living biology of your each and every cell.

Take a breath and experience your mouth as the gateway to the heart/lung exchange of precious gases that sustain the living biology of each and every cell.

Stick out your tongue and marvel at this versatile muscular organ with the ability to discern taste and texture even at the molecular level. Roll your tongue around your mouth appreciating how its changing shape can control the movement of food, initiate the mechanisms of swallowing, and modify the sounds of your voice.

Lick your lips and marvel at your saliva that is as complex a tissue as blood, providing enzymes, antibodies, barrier and protection for the mouth tissues as well as a medium for digestion and flow. Purse your lips in different ways and do a range of different smiles and gestures with your lips and notice how expressive and versatile are the doors to your magnificent mouth.

Smile and see the beautiful pearly pillars of your teeth which sparkle in and reflect the light. These pillars of effective strength allow you the ability to cut your life sustenance into manageable bite-size pieces and prepare it for the journey of assimilation, renewal and repair for the cells of your biology.

Now greet yourself with the distinctive and original sound of your own voice. Make the sounds that are your unique characteristic vocal vibrations and marvel at the originality, the versatility and the notes. Speak your own name and listen to the sounding of yourself by yourself. This is your organ of vocal expression, the instrument that allows you to express what you feel on the inside and communicate these feelings to those around you. What a gift this voice is! Without this transmitter, your communication with the outside world is so severely hampered. Listen to your sounds and celebrate your own original song. Sing your song to yourself and applaud the performance. No other anywhere on the planet can do this as you do it. It is unique and precious and of inestimable value.

Take time to feel appreciation and gratitude for the wonderful gift of you. Purse you lips and offer a kiss to yourself in appreciation of this precious gift of you and your Magnificent Mouth.

Your Magnificent Mouth is nothing less than a vast Treasure Trove of Tissues Types in Formidable Function and Synchronous Synergy, just one part of the Magnificent Miracle that is You.

My real qualification is 23 years experience in dealing with real people and their problems face to face, as a clinical practitioner.

Can The Toothbrush Damage Your Dental Health?

Did you know that much of the treatment that dentists provide can be directly or indirectly related to your tooth brushing? Few dental awareness programmes ever give this information or explain the dangers of the toothbrush.

First off, let me say that the idea of using a toothbrush as part of a hygiene programme to keep the mouth clean and healthy is undoubtedly a good idea. Without reservation, I support and advocate the concept. There has been, however, a tendency to promote the toothbrush to the position of Supreme Dental Product. The notion of the toothbrush as a dental cure-all has been allowed to take root unchallenged in the minds of people. This has led to all manner of problems not least of which is the sense of let down and disappointment that committed and enthusiastic brushers feel when they are told that they need fillings.

“How can I have cavities when I brush my teeth not once but at least three or four times daily?” is a question that I am often asked. When I tell people that brushing has little effect, if any, on tooth decay, the reaction is often shock and disbelief. They have genuinely believed that tooth brushing would keep them safe from all cavities and are devastated to be told of, perhaps, the presence of a very large cavity that may require root canal treatment or extraction.

Just in case you, the reader, are experiencing that same state of shock and disbelief at these words, let me explain the facts clearly. Tooth decay, for the most part happens in specific areas of the tooth anatomy. The most common site for decay is in the nooks and crannies of the biting surfaces of the back teeth. The second most common site is between the teeth at a point just below where a tooth touches its neighbour. What these sites have in common is their inaccessibility to the bristles of your toothbrush. These sites are known as stagnation areas by virtue of their inaccessibility and could be termed the major ‘at-risk’ sites for decay. This is very simply why tooth brushing has little or no effect on tooth decay. The bristles are simply too large to access the at-risk areas!!

I like to call toothbrush damage the condition of those who care too much. As always, to really understand, we must look first to the mind. This problem arises from the notion/belief that the ‘harder’ one works at brushing, the better the job will be done. We are motivated and eager to produce the best possible result. However, lurking behind this gung-ho outward show there is a nagging fear that we will not succeed at producing the ‘good job’ and we will lose our teeth. In fact, we are deeply afraid of not being good enough. This fear of not being good enough at the job is a manifestation of the broader fear of failure.

This is when the crazy logic takes over in the fearful mind. If one bottle of beer is good, then ten bottles of beer must be ten times better! So in order not to fail, - in order to make sure that we will be good enough, we pull out all the stops and go at it with hammer and tongs. We scrub like crazy with a ‘good’ hard bristled brush. By golly, we will get these teeth clean!! The harder we go at it, the better we will do. And we so want to do well!

Is it any wonder then that when I advise these people to change to a soft brush they will invariably tell me that they don’t feel that they could possibly do a good job with a soft brush. Often they will continue with the hard brush despite the advice. This is because changing your mind is much more difficult than changing your brush and is also the reason why being advised to change your toothbrush is simply not enough to change the behaviour. Behaviour is an outcome, - the effect of a belief. The belief is the cause, the behaviour the effect. No change can happen in behaviour (effect) without a change in belief (cause)

The damage caused by this behaviour is very common and affects the hard tissues of the tooth and the soft tissue of the gum. It affects young and old and in between. The earliest signs of damage involve the loss of gum tissue at the neck of the tooth and this can cause the tooth/teeth affected to look longer than unaffected neighbouring teeth. At the same time there appears a wear mark in the shape of a tiny notch in the dentine, again at the neck of the tooth. Sometimes this notch will be discovered because of the fact that it can be extremely sensitive to touch. An exploring fingernail might inadvertently touch against the notch and trigger a sudden electric shock of pain through the tooth.

Not surprisingly, the damage increases with time. More and more soft tissue is destroyed and the wear mark widens and deepens into the structure of the tooth. Furthermore, because there is no enamel protection over this exposed root surface, there is now a greater risk of tooth decay at the site. More often than not these damaged areas require porcelain filling/restoration as treatment. This requirement may be a cosmetic one, where a person feels that appearance is compromised by the damage. The damaged areas are often the most visible areas at the sides and front of the mouth. Other times sensitivity in the damaged area dictates the need for restoration. Other times again, tooth decay sets in to the damaged dentine and again restoration is needed. The damage done in extreme cases may result in the need for a root canal treatment or even extraction. Remember, all of this can happen as a result of a seemingly perfectly genuine and honest desire to do the best job possible. How do we solve the problem?

The solution is gentleness. And with the realisation that the forcefulness and aggressiveness brings about the very thing you sought to avoid, you lay it aside and choose gentleness instead. You have changed your mind because the outcomes that you were producing were not the ones you sought. Having changed your mind the behavioural change easily follows. The soft brush and gentle but thorough approach gets the results you want. Instead of following the frantic antics of fearing failure, the soft steady strokes of calm caring guide you to sure and certain success.

Toothbrush damage is very common but seldom highlighted. The fear of failure is at the root of the problem. We think we can ‘motivate’ using fear and we teach our children that failure is fatal. We cultivate the notion that it is hard to succeed and so in order to succeed we must push ourselves harder. This promotes the aggressive approach the consequence of aggression is always damage (Ask George Bush). In this case the damage is to our own tissues. The intention or reason behind the behaviour is actually good (desire to do well) but the motivation is the fear of disease rather than the love of health.

Stand back and look carefully at the cause (fearful belief) and the effect (damaging behaviour). Seeing through the gentle light of understanding, we can change our minds and our behaviour.

Remember
Use a Soft Brush
Use a Gentle Technique
Use enough time to give Thorough Loving Care to all surfaces of all teeth.

My name is Philip Christie. I qualified as a Dental Surgeon at Trinity College, Dublin (Ireland) in 1980 and completed a Master’s Programme in Dental Science, again at Trinity College Dublin, by research in 1995. I have been working full time in dental care either in general or specialist practice since qualification. My main interest is and always has been prevention.

My real qualification is 23 years experience in dealing with real people and their problems face to face, as a clinical practitioner. I am the author of "Something To Chew On: A Mouth Map To Health." It is a Health Manual with a difference. Different because it is designed for the future and for success. Different because it gives the power back where it belongs, - to the person’s own self. Different because it demonstrates the Mouth as the Mirror of the body and by tackling problems at source saves huge expense!

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