What are the main oral health problems people experience?
Gum inflammation and bleeding (gingivitis), cavities, gum recession (periodontitis), halitosis (bad breath); dry mouth, especially for those on medications—which aggravates other oral health problems.
What is the main cause of oral health problems?
Bacteria/plaque
What is the role of bacteria in oral health problems?
- Biofilm (bacteria) lodges in the crevices around the teeth both above and below the gingival margin. Consequence of bacterial accumulation are described below.
- Gingivitis (gum inflammation—tendency for bleeding gums): Bacteria/plaque accumulates on the teeth next to the gum line and within the gum crevice, resulting in gum inflammation. If left untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis.
- Cavities: Bacteria secretes acids which erodes (dissolve) enamel—causing cavities.
- Periodontitis is a gum infection that damages the soft tissue and bone that supports the tooth. The gum tissue pulls away from the teeth, creating pockets where additional bacteria can accumulate and grow. Periodontitis can destroy tissues, ligaments, and bones in the mouth that can lead to tooth loss.
- Inflamed gums can be a source of bacteria and bacterial toxins entering into the blood stream. This can cause inflammation in the blood vessels and can contribute to heart disease and strokes.
- The main cause of halitosis (bad breath) is release of volatile sulfur compounds from bacteria. This is especially true for anaerobic bacteria hidden in recesses.
What is the best remedy controlling bacteria in the mouth?
Your dentist and hygienist recommendation is the best: brush and floss. Generally, a softer toothbrush is preferred since the key area that needs cleaning is at the gum margin. The more bacteria you can remove in this area, the better your oral health. Flossing will get to the areas where a toothbrush cannot reach.
What is pH and what is its role in cavities?
pH is a term that describes the level of acidity. Water is at a neutral pH of 7. A pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic that neutral water. A pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than neutral water. At acidic pH’s, the calcium in the enamel of your teeth starts to dissolve. Bacteria in contact with your teeth can secrete acids, such as lactic acid, to dissolve teeth and form cavities.
Do I need to brush multiple times per day?
There are billions of bacteria in your mouth. When food is available, bacteria level can double every 20 minutes. Thus, when you eat or drink something that is sweet, you are also feeding the bacteria in your mouth. The best remedy is to brush after every meal.
If you cannot brush, look into lozenges or mouthwashes that reduce bacteria and raise the pH of the mouth.
Is there a link between a dryer mouth and oral health problems?
Bacteria is the key problem in oral health. The body/mouth, to keep bacteria levels under control, secretes saliva, which can wash away bacteria. Thus, people with chronic dry mouth suffer much more oral health problems.
Is there a lozenge that addresses oral health problems?
Dentiva and Salese, from Nuvora, address all the oral health problems described above. Both lozenges contain the same ingredients except Salese contains an additional ingredient to provide relief for dry mouth. How the lozenges work:
- Bacteria is reduced.
—Essential oils kill bacteria. Dentiva and Salese use the same essential oils found in Listerine. The amount of essential oils found in Dentiva and Salese is known to be enough to be bactericidal.
—Xylitol is a sugar which is known to inhibit bacterial growth. - Acidity is decreased.
—Bicarbonate is used to eliminate acidity of the mouth to prevent cavities. - Halitosis is reduced or eliminated.
—Zinc is used to capture and eliminate volatile sulfur compounds which causes bad breath - Dry Mouth is soothed.
—Salese uses xanthan gum to relieve the dry mouth symptoms.
Is there a difference between Dentiva for bad breath as compared to other mints for bad breath?
Dentiva is the only lozenge which actually captures and eliminates volatile sulfur compounds which causes bad breath. The zinc used is the same type used in fighting colds.
Dentiva is the only oral health lozenge which also reduces bacteria in the mouth, prevents cavities by eliminating acidity in the mouth.
Are all dry mouth lozenges the same?
Most dry mouth lozenges only contains xylitol. These lozenges do not contain ingredients to address dry mouth comfort. These other lozenges also make the mouth acidic, making the user more susceptible to cavities. Persons with dry mouth are more prone to bad breath since they do not have enough saliva to wash away bacteria which causes bad breath.
Are there studies that compare the different dry mouth lozenges?
A study at the University of Florida Dental College compared the various dry mouth lozenges in the market and showed that Salese was the only lozenge which did not make the mouth acid. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0035/3832/files/Delgado_AADR_2018_Acidity_of_dry_mouth_lozenges.pdf?10451805702918068836
Do you remove all plaque/biofilm with standard brushing?
Below is a diagram showing that standard brushing will reduce plaque to ~1.5 – 2.0 The remaining plaque near gingiva and in grooves, crevices and inter-proximal spaces are the high risk plaque which causes gingivitis, caries, and periodontal disease. Thus, extra effort of brushing at the gingival margin will help prevent oral health problems.
