Oral Health Focus: Give Yourself Something To Smile About This Year By Upping It

It’s only ever one side; much like the joie de vivre version of a new year view.
There’s a candle that’s supposed to smell like fireworks. With a bit of freedom thrown in, apparently. It has the scent of mandarin, sunflower and suede; not the acrid aroma of black powder. One can only assume that the smell of suede as freedom is an expensive pair of boots running like the clappers.
Don’t do it in the rain. The ruin would be regretful and the redolence hard to replicate.
Certainly, in terms of measurable time periods, the end of the old and start of the new is a good marker. For those who embrace change, it’s as easy as a certain Don’T frequently substitutes fantasy for fact, and hubris for history.
At a time when it seems that the entire world changes in a New York minute, those who find the idea of too many things not remaining the same can feel overwhelmed. Self-doubt can arise, and that’s no decent place to be. Particularly when it takes decision making and discipline to alter the landscape.
The useful perspective is to consider it akin to being faced with eating an elephant: one bite at a time.
You need good teeth for that. Not only to chew through it all, but to get through life in a way that has you not be grateful when it’s over, but incredibly glad it was lived.
It’s been a mere 25 years since modern medicine accepted the oral-systemic health link that other ancient healing systems have always asserted: that the mouth is the window to general health. First endorsed by the US Surgeon General in the year 2000, taking care of your teeth and gums is a crucial step in the prevention of chronic disease and minimising the risk of condition complications.
Good oral health focus supports robust mental health. It has even been shown to affect performance in both education and career.
Much research has been done and continues, with the increasing list of debilitating afflictions associated with poor oral health. It’s a major component in the global consequences of a catalogue of illnesses and syndromes, that include diabetes and insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal diseases and certain cancers. Genetics is just one aspect. What more dictates a person’s declining level of oral health focus is a habitually less-than-wholesome diet; and the myriad of components that result in stress, tobacco and alcohol use, self-prescribed and clinical medications and immunosuppression. Along with that, is availability and access to dental care.
None of it is simple.
The first mouthful in dealing with that elephant – the one that’s been in the room for quite a while – is to truly understand how imperative it is to have regular, six-monthly dental check-ups. That’s how to avoid expensive, ongoing treatments, and the irreversible and dire effects of gum disease. Early diagnosis is key. Relying on the agony of a toothache, or the throb of a painful gum infection is by far the least helpful reminder to make that appointment.
Not in single, predominant conditions, but rather the multi-morbidity of two or more diseases. Symptoms and conditions in the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems, and even the bones, criss-cross throughout the body. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the structured system of flow are meridian lines; and Nobel Prize-winning Biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986) said, “In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.”
Physics tells us that everything is connected. Dental research tells us that good oral health focus is the conduit for mental acuity and general wellbeing – the mainstays for happiness. Dental thermography offers the ability to see it.
This non-invasive diagnostic measurement of temperature distribution via bio-thermal processes, gives highly accurate health assessments by detecting blood flow tempo and temperature. Abnormalities within it indicate as yet unseen inflammation and disorder.
Each tooth is on a meridian – all of which connect to a specific area of the body or organ, and the brain. Dental numbering from 1-to-32 has been practised for a long time in the profession. For example, front teeth (#7 and #8) are connected to the kidney and bladder via concentrated points of microvascular structure. Correspondingly, the posterior knee and ankle, tonsil and pineal gland are also influenced.
So front tooth issues would have both TCM and thermography pinpoint these correlated functional anomalies.
Naturally, it’s reciprocal; any internal health challenges will show up in your mouth.
Multiply that by 32 teeth, 72 organs and 11 body systems. Therein lies the answer to wellbeing and psychological balance; and the irreplaceable value of maintaining a level of oral health in which to be proud.
Good teeth and gums are the internal and external representation of health and success. Even happiness. Yet we segregate dental care from the rest of the body, and commonly experience it with anxiety, fear, and financial distress.
So above all else this year, give yourself something to really smile about. Find a dentist who nurtures a practitioner and patient relationship of trust, truth, and affordable treatment options and book that appointment.
And before you leave the clinic, book your next one. Then you’ll know change has arrived, and you’re good with it.
Disclaimer: The material posted is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Results vary with each patient. Any dental procedure carries risks and benefits. If you have any specific questions about any dental and/or medical matter, you should consult your dentist, physician or other professional healthcare providers.
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