How oral health impacts the health of the whole body
Guest post by Will and Susan Revak.
“As much as 50% in the reversal of cancer is in the mouth.” – Burton Goldberg, expert in the field of alternative medicine
What is going on in the mouth impacts the health of the whole body. Many of us are aware of the negative impact bacteria has on our oral health, but the impact that these same ‘bad bugs’ have on our general health is less well known.
Stop putting toxins into the system…
Fundamental to creating greater oral health and overall wellness is to stop putting toxins into the system. For the sake of this article, these include:
1. The toxins that the ‘bad bugs’ (the guys that cause gum disease) dump or trigger in our system.
2. The toxins that are inadvertently introduced to prevent disease through the use of oral hygiene products.
Prevent disease or create health… Which comes first?
If we want to create optimal health, our primary focus must be to first create health, and then to secondarily address disease prevention. So, our primary intent must be on adopting wellness protocols of creating health. Therefore, we must be aware that introducing any toxins into our system is going to impair our immunological efforts to create health. This especially applies if the toxins we introduce are under the guise of preventing disease. If we introduce toxins into the system via this approach, we are not addressing the primary focus to create health.
With these foundations in place, let’s take a quick look why this information is crucial to our health.
Sobering Stats…
According to David Kennedy, DDS and past president of the International Association for Oral Medicine and Toxicology, here are the facts:
Over 9 out of 10 adults over 30 years of age have some stage of active gum disease.
65% of 15 year olds already have active gum disease (yikes!)
The negative impact of gum disease goes beyond the mouth because gum disease is an active bacterial infection that has access to the whole body via the bloodstream! The ‘bad bugs’ involved with gum disease are very mobile. They can and do swim upstream and colonise other areas of the body.
In fact, the plaque deposits from bad bugs in the mouth are the same types of plaque found in arterial walls in heart disease sufferers. Given the understanding that these ‘bad bugs’ in the mouth swim through the bloodstream, it makes complete sense.
If a person has gum disease, there increased risk of society’s main killers are drastically increased. Here is the official word on that. My guess is the real numbers are probably much higher …
Stroke: 300% increased risk
Heart disease: 72-168% increased risk
Fatal coronary heart disease: 50% increased risk
Preterm birth: 700% increased risk
Oral cancer: 400% increased risk
Diabetes: Increased risk
Arthritis: Increased risk
Pneumonia aspiration: Increased risk
These bad bugs colonise the mouth as their base and they are then able to access the rest of the body via the bloodstream. This is similar to having an enemy inside your gates slowly but surely eroding your health by poisoning the system.
The known risks of this common situation are two fold. First, these bad bugs destroy flesh and bone tissue. They have even been caught under a microscope ganging up and killing white blood cells! They also dump toxins into the system. So, the first risk factor is the actual damage the bad bugs do to the body. The second risk is how the body responds to this chronic bacterial attack.
How does the body respond to bacterial infection?
Our immune system recognises gum disease as the rampant bacterial infection it is. One way the body defeats an infection is to increase the inflammation in the local area in order to increase blood flow and increase the number of white blood cells to fight the infections. Swollen and painful gums, bleeding when brushing or flossing are clear signs of an active bacterial infection in the mouth.
The problem arises when the infection is a chronic one, like with gum disease. In the case of chronic infection, the body’s infection-fighting reaction creates a state of chronic inflammation.
Chronic infection = chronic inflammation
When the ‘bad bugs’ have travelled through the whole body, it is this system-wide chronic inflammation that contributes to and sets the stage for all the diseases of modern society, from arthritis and diabetes to heart disease and cancer.
According to Chinese medical theory, if you distill it all down, the only cause of disease is stagnation. The type of stagnation and where the stagnation is located contributes to how the stagnation shows up (what disease the person has).
Chronic inflammation literally causes stagnation. Stagnation causes disease. Therefore gum disease is one of the main pathways, like a gateway disease, that allow system wide diseases to establish and flourish.
Now that we have rung the alarm about the risks of gum disease for the health of the whole body, our next article will address some simple and easy solutions. Stay tuned for that one!
About the authors:
Will and Susan Revak are the founders of OraWellness. They began their journey to creating greater oral health in their own lives over 15 years ago. OraWellness offers tools and educational products to help you take control of your oral health using organic ingredients and inexpensive natural solutions. Chronic bad breath, bleeding gums, and other signs of oral imbalance (even advanced gum disease!) can be a thing of the past. Learn more at www.OraWellness.com.
Were you aware that your mouth plays such an important role in your overall health? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section below.
Positive affirmation for the day: I am entitled to miracles.
MY CHRISTMAS GIFT TO GERSON …
I am donating 50% of all sales of my Healing Through The Holidays recipe e-book to the Gerson Institute. Gerson Therapy has saved my life, and so many others like me, and I want to do this as a Christmas present to them. These people work so hard to get the Gerson message out, and help so many people with cancer and other chronic illnesses, and they rely on donations to make it all happen. Click here to buy your copy of Healing Through The Holidays.
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POSTED IN: cancer, dentist, disease, gum disease, gums, mouth health, oral health, teeth
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Thanks for this very timely article Jess! I have been concerned about my receding gums this year and have asked my dentist several times what can be done. Her answer is that my teeth are all healthy and to spray my gums with a de-sensitizing spray. It’s safe to say I won’t be going back there! I had to take things into my own hands and have been researching alternative treatments. This company’s website has by far the most information I’ve been able to find to date, and I’m really eager to give the new brushing technique and brushing solution a try (and hear the follow-up post)!!!
Jess – you know when you posted that article about listening to your sixth sense. I have had bad gums for a few years and kept thinking and thinking that the ‘bad bugs’ were responsible for some of my health problems. This article has confirmed my ‘thoughts’. People never assume that what is going on oral hygiene is linked to any health issues they may have. I am going to share this! Thanks again Jess x
Any thoughts out there about “oil pulling”. I have been practicing for about a year and my dental has improved dramatically. Many health benefits, easy and not expensive.
@ Margo Rogers, we think oil pulling is a great protocol for anyone looking to improve their oral health as well as positively improve their overall health. Here is our article on the subject: http://www.orawellness.com/Articles/what-is-oil-pulling.html
Interesting on the oil pulling. Just not sure it would be acceptable to someone on the Gerson program…unless of course the only oil they used was approved flax oil.
You bring up a valid point. Since we really aren’t ingesting any of the oil (in fact when oil pulling you intentionally avoid ingesting any of the oil), I’m not sure it would be an issue. We are using the oil almost like oil in a car engine, to clean all the gunk out of the system.
I’d be curious to hear from a person at Gerson Institute what their perspective is on oil pulling therapy.
Thanks for the post!
Hi Jess – You have no idea how perfect a timing this article is. I don’t have medical or dental insurance and am struggling financially so I haven’t been to the dentist (or doctor) in the last three years after I lost my medical insurance/jobs here in the U.S. Recently, I noticed my gums are getting discolored in a few spots and every time I floss now, I bleed heavily. So I’m pretty sure I have gum disease. My husband is also in the same situation, except he’s been having problems with pains resulting from a root canal a few years ago. As someone who can’t get medical advice from an office visit, I really look forward to your next article with some practical advice/tips on how to help people with possible gum disease in a natural way.
On another topic, I have family on my mother’s side who grew up in extreme poverty so they didn’t get to go to the dentists until they were adults – by then, their teeth were all rotted and they all had gum disease (also didn’t help that they started smoking cigarettes as adults). My question is – they all have dentures (and my mom has those silver implants implanted into her gums for her dentures) – these have all been very painful and problematic. I wonder if any of your oral wellness experts have any advice on this denture and denture implant issue . . . and by the way, they all have health problems – osteoporosis, bad arthritis, high blood pressure (and my grandma died of a stroke).
Hi Jen,
We are very touched with your willingness to share your current situation with us here. We hear the challenges that your family has faced with regarding dental health. Let’s start with the disclosure… We are not dentists or medical doctors. So, we can’t offer any medical advice or suggestions. What I am going to share with you here is what I would do, given my current understanding and experience, if I found myself with the various circumstances you detail.
You are correct that if the gums bleed when we floss, it’s an easy to spot sign of gum disease (assuming we aren’t causing damage by cutting the gum tissue with floss). This is why we focus on bleeding gums because it’s such an obvious yes or no sign. The good news is bleeding gums is also a sign of early stages of gum imbalance, so more easily balanced.
The second half of the article on Jess’ blog will offer some helpful suggestions anyone can use to create greater oral health. The trick really is consistency in one’s care. In other words, with regular persistent application of various tools and techniques to create greater oral health, anyone can help establish greater health in their own mouth. For now, be gentle yet persistent on your oral hygiene. Your aim at this point is to disrupt and disorganize the colonisation efforts of the bad bugs. Daily brushing and flossing definitely helps, especially in the spots that bleed.
The root canal topic is not a pretty one. As such, please do your own research here and do not take this as advice. I do not believe in root canals. So, if I had a dead tooth in my mouth I would have it extracted. There is just way too much evidence showing a link between dead teeth and other systemic diseases/imbalances. My guess is your husband’s health is being negatively impacted from the dead tooth being a haven of ‘bad bugs’ in the body. The reason why there is an increased risk of other systemic diseases from mouth imbalances like gum disease or root canals is the fact that the bad bugs involved can and do swim ‘upstream’ via the blood vessels and invade the whole body. Now, I’m getting kind of gruesome here, but it’s true. Writing an article about root canals is on my ‘to do’ list! 
Onto your mom’s implant subject. Here is another topic I don’t like. I have met many folks with implants. Some of them are happy. Most wish they had never done it. I have just never gotten over the idea of implanting a foreign object like a metal post into bone tissue. it’s different than someone having a screw put in place to hold together broken bones, etc. Implants are exposed to oral bacteria. In other words, a screw is closed into the body. Implants are open to outside exposure to the bacteria haven the mouth is (a warm, dark, moist place is a great breeding ground for these bugs). It comes as no surprise to me that your family has been plagued with many of the modern diseases. You are not alone. Remember over 90% of adults have gum disease. Left uncared for, everyone will fall prey to the same circumstances.
I want to address one point you made in your post about poverty. Not going to a dentist doesn’t cause dental issues, lack of nutrition does. Poverty definitely can impact the quality of nutrition we can provide to support the real nutritional needs of our families. In other words, we have to provide our systems with the nutrients necessary to create optimal health or we are going to set the stage for all the various breakdowns to health that occur so commonly today. Just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s normal or correct.
I hope this helps. Feel free to check out our site from the link Jess has in the post for more information. We have several free videos there that support folks like you to navigate to greater oral health.
To your health!
Thank you for such a detailed, quick response. There is just so much to consider in our entire family so I look forward to reading Jess’s upcoming article about how to take care of gum disease, and I would love love love to read your article on root canals because it seems so many people have done it and haven’t been really happy with its effects years later- would love some advice (I believe I saw it covered on film like Food Matters). My mom’s dental implants and denture issues are something I’ll have to figure out how to resolve with some professional’s advice – she’s been in a lot of pain. Thank you again for your time. I completely understand the disclosure part about not being doctors, etc., but I think the reason folks like myself follow these wellness blogs even when we don’t have cancer is because we feel like there’s soooo much confusing, contradicting information about health topics out there, that it’s nice to come to one place to get overall advice on many different health, wellness, food topics. Furthermore, people like myself have become a bit skeptical of doctors (not all) but doctors, dentists who seems to push a lot of expensive things on you like medication, surgeries, procedures, etc. etc. So thanks to you and Jess and all for being here.
What do the folks at OraWellness think of dental sticks vs dental floss?
HI cookingwnothing,
By the term dental sticks are you referring to what we call tooth picks (something one would use after a meal) or another sort of stick like tool? I’ll reply assuming you mean something like a slim wooden pick to clear debris from between teeth.
From our perspective dental sticks are useful but cannot replace dental floss. To give our reason, let me place down a foundation first…
Each tooth has what is called a gum pocket around it. A gum pocket in perfect health is 1-2mm deep. However, gum disease causes these pockets to deepen. As over 90% of adults have gum disease, deepening pockets is extremely common. One necessary step to help restore oral health is to disrupt and disorganize the bad bugs implicated in gum disease. Another necessary fact is gum disease gets going best between molars.
So, the reason dental floss is so helpful to create greater oral health is because floss goes up to 4 mm deep into gum pockets and gets down that deep between the molars where other oral hygiene tools don’t reach easily. Also, floss does so with very little disturbance to the gum tissue (provided you are being gentle with your floss technique).
While dental sticks are helpful for removing food debris after a meal, their relatively large size makes them ineffective to disrupt and disorganize the bad bugs between molars. Add to that the fact that one would be doing more harm than good by inserting a dental stick down into gum pockets.
I hope this helps. We offers lots more info on how to navigate to greater oral health on our site. Jess has the site listed in the post.
To your health!
Thanks! I did check out your website and have just done my first oil pulling session this morning! The reason I asked about the floss is that I moved to the Netherlands, and here (the dentists I’ve gone to and from what I’ve heard from others) they think flossing damages your gums and to use dental sticks instead. They’re a curved stick that you put in between the teeth where the gums curve up and rub back and forth to apparently ‘soothe the gums while disrupting the bad bacteria’. I naively thought I just must not be up to date with things and switched to them at my dentist’s advice. A year later and my receding gums certainly aren’t getting any better. Thanks for all the information on your site, I hope that through oil pulling, brushing correctly and switching back to flossing, I can help reverse some of the damage!
Great! We encourage you to watch our video titled ‘How to Brush Your Teeth to Reduce Gum Disease’. We detail a brushing technique that was created through good old fashion trial and error back in the days of Weston A Price and Max Gerson. It is a well researched brushing technique that is best done with a specific type of brush. You can find them using the link below.
http://www.orawellness.com/In-the-Mouth-Care.html?aff_id=20
With diligence and supportive information, you can create greater oral health in your own mouth!
To your health!
Another great article. Do the folks at OraWellness have an opinion on Sonic toothbrushes? Are they superior to regular brushes? Thanks!
Thanks for asking! We have mixed opinions about sonic brushes. Here’s why.
On one hand, they do show to dislodge plaque. However, we aren’t sure of the long term potential implications of the sonic waves on general health. Sonic waves are sound waves. As such, they are a gross (aka big) vibration. We question whether these sonic waves may loosen fillings. After all, they are big vibrations. We also question the yet unknown potential risks of these sonic waves on the glands in the neck and head.
So, given there are other ways to disrupt and disorganize the bad bugs that cause gum disease without using sonic brushes, we opt for the conservative approach to create greater oral health.
We hope this helps!
To your health!
I’d like the orawellness folks to comment on the use of lugol’s in a water pik. Iodine kills basically everything.
ie: I mean kills every bug that may be in the mouth
Great question! We like oral irrigators like water pik. They are very effective to disrupt and disorganize the bad bugs that cause gum disease and tooth decay to a certain depth into the gum pocket. Using Lugol’s makes sense to add as a general antibacterial agent. Like you say, iodine is a very effective ‘bug killer’. Add to that the benefit of absorbing some of the iodine into the system and you benefit in more than one way from the irrigation.
Here’s where you want to be careful. First, irrigators only reach 4mm deep into infected gum pockets. So, for a person with gum pockets greater than 4mm deep, irrigation may not be sufficient to apply antibacterial agents to the base of the infected gum pockets.
Second, one would naturally think that you could just turn up the pressure to reach deeper into the pockets but this action would be a poor choice. Called ‘water cannoning’, applying high pressure via a water pik can actually push the bad bugs from the pockets into the bloodstream (bad thing!).
So, in conclusion, water irrigation with iodine makes sense for prevention or for early gum disease. Once the pockets get deeper, more care is needed to effectively get antibacterials into the base of the infected pockets. For more information on this, check out our HealThy Mouth System. Here’s a link…
http://www.orawellness.com/healthy-mouth-system.html
One last point… there’s more to creating greater oral health than ‘just’ lowering the populations of bad bugs in the mouth. You may want to look into restoring greater oral ph and the concept of mouth probiotics covered in a video of the same name on our site. Once we lower the bad bugs, we must support the regrowth of the ‘good guys’. It’s a constant dance really. The good news is once we raise our immunity high enough, we become ‘unsuitable hosts’ for the bad bugs.
Thanks for the great question. We hope this helps you navigate to greater wellness!
To your health!