Friday Fitness NOT SO Fun Fact

Boner,

Maybe you need more coffee. Any extra acidity in my mouth is probably nipped in the bud by the alkalinity of two pots of coffee!

Best Wishes,

Dave

Hey Dave, I probably drink too much coffee the way it is (1 pot a day) and given my propensity for "not sleeping", I be thinkin' I need to be cutting back on the joe a tad. Boner

I remember my gums went downhill fast the first 6 months post-WLS due to the "starvation mode." I ramped up the flossing and brushing and made sure I was getting all my protein and vitamins in. The gums which had turned brown and were bleeding eventually came back to a healthy pink color and zero bleeding. As a matter of fact, the dentist (who has some great computer technology) showed me comparison pictures this week. Pretty amazing how various parts of the body reacts when deprived of certain nutrients (e.g. losing hair, teeth, etc.). Boner 

Holy crap. I have no idea what that does good or bad for your teeth but I would be near screaming in pain if I held Listerine in my mouth for 10 minutes.

Even on their commercials they show people struggling to keep it in their mouths for 30 seconds. That's impressive that you manage to deal with it for so long.

Thanks, I'm also a champion at going barefoot on large gravel!

Dave

Is Mouthwash Destroying My New Dental Work?

Most Mouthwashes have a very high alcohol content and most New Dentistry uses Composite Materials. The Problem is that alcohol is a solvent and specifically is capable of breaking down or dissolving composite materials. In fact dentists use alcohol to clean off the dental instruments used to place composites in the mouth. Composites in the mouth include: Sealants, Bonding, Veneers, Fillings, Cement for Orthodontic Brackets, and Cement for Crowns & Bridges. When you rinse with an alcohol based mouthwash for just 1 minute: you are giving the alcohol enough time to begin to break down the bonding agent (BIS JMA) which bonds the composite material to your tooth. This break down of the BIS JMA may leave your tooth prone to decay.

Solution: Use a non-alcohol based mouthwash. The alcohol in mouthwash offers no health benefit and is used exclusively to thin out the active ingredients and to prevent settling at the bottom of the bottle.

Just to clear up one thing.  I am a dental hygienist.  If anyone has questions about dental health and the relationship to weight loss surgeries, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I speak to many dental professionals and try to educate them about the special needs regarding the types of medicines precribed in the dental office and preventive care along with nutrition updates as many vitamin deficiencies can have a oral complication. Thanks Lori Brogna, RDH