Greetings!

Welcome to another issue of the OraMedia Newsletter for Dental Self Sufficiency. I'd like to say I'll be joining my parents and sisters in South Carolina for Thanksgiving this year, but I'm remaining in Upstate NY this holiday due to a heavy work load. I'll make it in December...

2004 has certainly been the year for 'new acquaintences' for me. Beginning in January, a renewed bond with Dr. and Ruth Nara was established and our weekly marathon phone conversations have really turned my life inside out with their wealth of knowledge and crazy knack for common sense.

Bob introduced me to fellow U.P.er, Bev 'Able' Maynard, who has been a real inspiration, wherever Bob and Ruth may have left off...

Canadian, Kelly Kurtz showed up out of the blue to open my eyes on the topic of 'water' and to introduce what sounds to be a remarkable new health product due to hit the market after the first of the year (I hope).

Good friend and marketing mentor, Scott Baker (OraMD), introduced himself late last winter and brought to light a great deal of marketing information I needed to know... Many others have called to place orders and ended up talking for hours, including former NFL player, Marv Bateman, who runs a whole foods store with his wife in Utah and a most interesting gentleman, fellow guitar picker and writer, Clay Davis appeared recently. Clay is a pilot and knew immediately what I was referencing when I mentioned my daily office view of 'Harris Hill,' aka 'The Soaring Capital of the World.' Visit Clay's web site at http://www.geocities.com/cd19 .

Not that any of this has anything much to do with the topic of oral health, but I really wanted to acknowledge the friends and good acquaintences I've met doing this project, including Mr. Tom Spaulding, inventor of the ShowerPik and QuickPiks -- who keeps me in stiches (and grounded), Dr. Jim Powell, inventer of the POWii irrigator, (both Tom and Dr. Powell are from my home town of Elmira, NY, oddly) Bill Landers and Tammy Rose-Payne of OraTec, Ms. Val, way out west, who recalls quite well 'South of the Border' on I-95, and the many, many others who call-in orders and take a few minutes to chat.

I'm thankful for having met or got to know you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

-Tom

I've had a lot of attention on healthy foods and their relationship with the prevention of disease, and it makes a lot of sense to me to be eating fresh food for health. Besides, I like to eat most anything (I'd really love to find a healthy New York-style, homegrown, organic pizza with extra cheese). Something I always steered clear of, though, were cranberries. I never liked them since I was a child - that glob of deep red gelatinous, bitter goop, masked over by sugar and some spices sitting there next to my delicious turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy...

Well, I read the news about them being so good for our teeth, but I sure can't eat these nasty little things plain. No doubt about that. Today I located some cranberry cider, bought it and I like it. There are some good juices available too. Maybe you have a good sugarless recipe to share with the rest of us... anyway, here's the good news about cranberries and your oral health:

New research presented at a recent symposium suggests that cranberry juice may help prevent certain oral health problems, including diseases of the gums and teeth. Dr. Hyun Koo from the University of Rochester examined cranberry juice's ability to prevent Streptococcus mutans bacteria from sticking to teeth. If the bacteria cannot adhere, then they cannot develop the buildup of dental plaque that covers the teeth and begins to cause cavities and even gum disease. Dr. Koo presented his research at the Cranberry Institute's Second Biennial Cranberry Health Research Symposium, held in October in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Prominent health experts gathered from North America to present new findings on cranberries' role in preventing a number of diseases and infections.

Read on...

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I'm certainly no angel when it comes to living the healthful life but I try to make small, significant and lasting changes as I go along and there are still some necessary changes I have to come to terms with. One change which wasn't too hard was more attention to my oral health, through better cleaning. Hopefully, it will pay off in more than healthy teeth and gums.

"Periodontal disease is a significant risk factor for heart disease. A recent study in the Journal of Peridontology found it was significantly more frequent in cardiac patients than in people with no heart disease; 91% of cardiovascular disease patients in the study were found to have periodontal disease compared with only 66% of heart healthy subjects. Peridontitis influences the occurrence and severity of coronary heart disease. This may be due to germs from infected gums passing into the bloodstream and causing damage to the artery linings. The study illustrates the importance of regular dental checkups."

(National Business Review, New Zealand - Nov 4, 2004)"

The linked article below has been featured previously in the OraMedia Newsletter, but I'm offering it again for a reminder. -Tom

Are My Bad Teeth Killing Me...?

"WARNING! Patients should NOT irrigate with Povodine Iodine at home. It is dangerous. In a recent study, 100% of regular users developed abnormal thyroid function. If you or anyone you know is recommending iodine for home use, please forward this warning.

"I just attended a lecture at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. The principle speakers were Dr. Tom Rams [Senior Associate Dean; Chair, Dept of Periodontology and Director of the Oral MIcrobiology Teting Lab at Temple School of Dentistry] and Dr. Larry Page [periodontist, PhD microbiologist and Professor of Periodontology at Temple].

"Dr. Rams was emphatic that patients NOT use iodine as a rinse or irrigant during home care. Aperiodic use during professional, in-office treatment may be OK, but not regular home use. It affects thyroid function in 100% of regular users. In a recent study, EVERYONE who irrigated with iodine as a part of home care had abnormal thyroid function!"

However, an RDH who also attended the seminar reported the following as being claimed: "Home irrigation with a bleach solution (1/2 tsp. bleach to 30 ozs. H2O) is the most effective."

The suggestion of using chlorine was posted many, many months ago at the OraMedia site - derived from an e-mail by Dr. Paul Keyes, who was also in attendance at the Baltimore seminar over the weekend. Personally, I like the idea of cranberry juice or TheraSol for irrigating.

Read on...

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Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while when they are nervous, upset or under stress. But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to serious health problems.

This article by Dr. Van Stitt Jr. presents a pretty good argument for dealing with dry mouth. Although I don't necessarily agree with his recommedations, I added this topic because I get questioned about it from time to time. Dr. Nara wrote about 'Zero-Lube,' which was available many years ago. I am asked about it frequently and as far as I know it is no longer available. If you have this condition, go to your pharmacy and get 'Biotene' mouth rinse. Biotene promotes saliva production and has some good antimicrobial properties. It is not hard to find this product.

Another excellent line of products is from the TheraBreath company. Read the next article by Dr. Katz.

Dry Mouth...

1. Provides enzymes to help with digestion of food
2. Provides a method to stabilize the pH (keep the acid levels in check)
3. Provides high levels of oxygen in order to keep oral tissues healthy and fresh.

If you suffer from dry mouth (Xerostomia) symptoms, you naturally have less saliva. In turn, less saliva means less oxygen. If there is less oxygen available in the oral environment you have an anaerobic environment, which is perfect for these sulfur-producing bacteria. In essence, the bacteria are now capable of making high levels of sulfur gases, which in turn make the breath and taste worse.

Read on...

A few months ago, a reader named Manny Linn sent me information about the Vision for Life program. He'd only been doing the program for less than a month and saw vast improvement in his eye sight. For those of you 'do-it-yourselfers' out there, definitely check out this report...

Vision for Life...

I'd like to say goodbye to a childhood friend, Joe Keeton, who passed on Sunday. You had one of the most incredible minds I've ever known and anyone who ever knew you will certainly never forget you. 'Bye, Joe.