Teeth a bulwark against disease.?

Eating, drinking, talking, smiling, kissing… “The mouth is so involved on a sensory, physical and psychological level, that it should not be neglected” , underlines Dr. Alain Amzalag dental surgeon in Paris. Despite the prevention messages, the French remain bad students in terms of oral hygiene . In 2019, one in four admitted brushing their teeth less than twice a day. The toothbrush is more often changed every 8 months than every 3 months. One in three French people has not been to the dentist for over a year. And that doesn’t get better with age.

According to a survey conducted in 2019 by the Pays de la Loire Regional Health Observatory (ORS), while 43% of 55-year-olds saw a dentist in 2017, this rate decreases continuously from the age of 65, to reach 25% at age 90. Among the causes put forward: fear of pain. “It is not the care that hurts, but the oral pathologies” , recalls the French Union for Oral Health (UFSBD). Another argument put forward: insurmountable costs… “Yet we are lucky to live in a country that takes charge of preventive care, it would be enough to respect them so as not to develop pathologies leading to more expensive care” , insists Dr. Amzalag.

Having bleeding gums, as is the case for one in two French people, means risking chronic gingivitis. Untreated, it leads straight to periodontitis, with serious consequences for the whole body. “You can’t be healthy if your mouth isn’t ,” summarizes Dr. Christophe Lequart, dental surgeon in Touraine and spokesperson for the UFSBD

To have teeth so damaged that you end up losing them means forgetting your smile, possibly having difficulty speaking, but above all eating a balanced diet, as the recommendations of the national health nutrition program (PNNS) suggest. . “Even if it’s not visible, a missing molar affects the way you chew. The remaining teeth then begin to move and in some cases there may be bone loss all around the area where a tooth is missing” , ”underlines the French Union for Oral Health (UFSBD) for which there are there is no fatality to losing natural teeth as you age.”Even if there is physiological loosening with age, it is not enough to lead to the loss of teeth, mainly due to bacterial infections” , insists Dr. Christophe Lequart, dental surgeon in Indre-et-Loire and spokesperson for the UFSBD.

During the Mercato, the transfer at a golden price of important football players is only carried out subject to a perfectly healthy oral condition.

Dr Alain Amzalag, dental surgeon in Paris

Chewing less well, therefore eating, is all the more problematic as we get older, exposing ourselves to undernutrition and its consequences: muscle wasting, risk of falls and dependence. The health of the mouth remains however the great forgotten in the prevention of undernutrition, from which 2 million people suffer, whereas it is one of the main causes, deplores the UFSBD.

The alignment of the skeleton

Joint or muscle pain related to oral health? It is not a view of the mind.. Lequart, who follows the dental health of volleyball players in Tours. “During the Mercato.

At 36°C, always humid, the mouth is an ideal oven: more than 700 bacterial species have been listed there. Some have a protective role; others, such as Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis can be harmful if profiled too much. “The healthier your mouth, the less aggressive bacteria you have ,” explains Dr. Lequart. And the secret of a healthy mouth is the harmony (eubiosis) of all this little world. “But the oral flora is fragile and at the mercy of an imbalance. This dysbiosis is linked to a combination of factors: individual, family susceptibility, probably a multi-genetic factor, and environmental , ”lists Professor Marjolaine Gosset, researcher at the Faculty of Dental Surgery in Paris.

By environment, we mean habits: “Failing dental hygiene, diet hyperrich in carbohydrates and lipids but depleted in micronutrients, smoking” , details the periodontologist. Certain drugs can also weaken the balance, when they are bactericidal (antibiotics) or when they reduce the production of saliva, which contributes to neutralize the acids after certain food intakes (hypertensives, antihistamines, antidepressants).

Painful jaw, headaches, more sensitive teeth are signs that may indicate that you suffer from bruxism.“The origin of this involuntary, and most often nocturnal, teeth grinding is linked to excess stress, which crystallizes on the temporomandibular .?

Tobacco in the dock

Deleterious for the lungs, the throat, the heart… The effects of tobacco are just as disastrous for the oral sphere. It causes bad breath and stains on the teeth. And like alcohol, it also increases the risk of oral cancer. From 45-50 years old, they can affect any area (lips, gum tissue, tongue, palate). They manifest as a sore that bleeds and does not heal, a small thickened, rough or crusty area. Suspicious lesions that the dentist also tracks down when he inspects your mouth.