Day 8 - Secondary Benefits

I noticed as it may be obvious that my teeth have not been bleeding as much these last several days.  I go to the dentist pretty regularly, if nothing else so I will not have to see him more often.  However, throughout my childhood and adulthood, I've had this off and on problem with bleeding gums or gingivitis, a common form of gum disease.

It may not be well known, but I learned African Americans and Mexican Americans have a disproportionate higher rate of gingivitis than other groups.  I would guess this has to do with socio-economic status, access to dental services, and, of course, diet.

Since I have been excluding sweets from my diet, my gums have not bled as severely in the last couple of days. As of today, there is no bleeding at all.  Of course, flossing and good dental hygiene help.  I do wonder how cutting back the sweets has made a difference.  It may seem obvious, but this is not something that I hear about regularly.

I grew up with family where it was very common to expect that you were going to lose many, if not all, of your teeth.  I presume pulling teeth was the cheaper option to have a bad cavity removed instead of getting a filling or repairing it.  I grew up watching young men and women with missing teeth.  In pictures, you'd see them getting older and have more missing teeth in their mouth.  These are some of the same people with other major health concerns such as heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Growing up into young adulthood, I did not connect their health problems and dental issues.  Dental issues, I guess, was not a health issue per se.

I have two crowns on teeth I lost to poor dental hygiene and resulted in me being far more diligent about brushing and flossing because I hate the dentist.  They're nice and all.  My kids love the African American dentist they have now located in my part town - the sunny Eastside (Austin's hood).

I expect my kids will have a different experience than my older family and I experienced.  They do far better managing their teeth than I did at their age.  I also believe the connection between good dental hygiene is linked to the other positive health messages I communicate to them.

I plan on keeping the rest of my teeth.  I have a dental appointment coming up also.  I'll be a bit nervous.  But, hey, I'm not a kid and going to the dentist is not going to hurt any more.  It's a whole lot easier and cheaper taking care of my health.