Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 14, DECEMBER 22, 2008, THE ISLANDER
(News to Q-CeCv
The Best is Yet to Be
By Clark Gillespie M.D.,
Professor Emeritus, the University of Arkansas
Gingivitis and more
We are all well aware that our senior
memory cells are fleeing us - and that
this growing mental flaw is but one of
the few things which we actually do
remember. Still, from my very old and
apparently indestructible early thought
banks, I can recall a very famous - but
aging - surgeon under whom I was
lucky enough to serve a year as a clini
cal and surgical assistant.
In those days, you didn’t communi
cate too closely or personally with your
great and renowned teachers. Ivory
towers still existed. Anyway, when my
fabulous year of service and learning
was over, I begged the hospital super
intendent to let me get into my great
mentor’s private office for a moment, in
order to thank him for this year of my
intense progress. So it was done.
His initial comment after my ‘intro
duction’ - “I see that you have fully
recovered and I hope that you are com
pletely satisfied with your care.”
Ah, well, so much for senior memory
and so be it. What brings that momen
tous experience into focus this day
happens to be my search for a column
which I thought I had written within
the past year. It was about problems in
dental care - but my files do not reflect
its existence - although I must confess
that my record keeping is at about the
same level as Freddie Macs.
So I am going to repeat what I
believe to be a reasonable portion of
that great work and add a new and
very important sector. Meanwhile, my
long-suffering editor is already furious
about the space that I have thus far
wasted.
Over the past half century or so,
dental care and health have vastly
improved largely due to the persistence
and the quality attention of our den
tists and their hygienists. They have
been somewhat assisted by commercial
prodding of us (remember Ipana’s pink
toothbrush ads?) in many areas of den
tal health care.
As a result, we are more and more
carrying most of our teeth with us
when we go, and full dentures are fall
ing by the wayside. Still, because of our
own resistance to professional care and
to our own personal care, we have a
way to go. Of great importance, recent
clinical investigations have established
the close relationship between dental
disease and very serious systemic body
structure health consequences.
I am not competent to discuss total
dental care in any detail with you, but
the development of gingivitis - a chron
ic inflammatory and infectious gum
disease, not only has major local dental
and oral health repercussions, but as
now established, has damaging effects
upon our cardiovascular systems and
upon the progress of diabetes - that’s
right - diabetes.
Incidentally, this chronic gum dis
ease and inflammation is associated
with the complex microbial composi
tion of our dental plaques which are
an equally complex film coating tooth
Brunswick Family Dental
Ivan Goldner D.M.D.
"PLAQUE AND PERIODONTAL DISEASE"
Periodontal disease is a huge dental problem
which affects millions of children and adults.
These conditions are usually directly related
to the presence of plaque. The severity of the
problem depends on the bacterial composition
of the plaque and to the patient's natural
resistance. Plaque leads to gingivitis, and
can progress to periodontitis and bone loss
if it is present below the gum. Most cases of
gingivitis and diseases of the tooth's supporting
structures will be eliminated when plaque is
eliminated. So, to control gingivitis, gum involvements and bone loss
- plaque development must be stopped.
Controlling those infections usually requires a combination of
mechanical, medicinal and perhaps surgical plaque control approaches.
These must be orchestrated and controlled by your dentist. But for
starters - learn how to brush your teeth and clean your mouth properly.
Some plaque-destroying mouthwashes are effective. This effectiveness
can be increased if it is used in an irrigation device.
Prepared as a public service to promote better dental health
from the office of Ivan Goldner, D.M.D.
159 Altama Connector (across from WaFMart) • Phone (912) 264-8408
Go to www.howarddentalgroup.com for new patient discounts
surfaces - and which are resistant, once
formed, to simple brushing or other
personal dental approaches.
Somewhat startling is the recent
evidence that such chronic oral inflam
matory disease is a depot which exports
its destructive carnage to the rest of
our body.
First, this damaging cargo is deliv
ered to our cardiovascular system
- about which I reported to you (I
think) earlier on. The development of
atherosclerosis and arterial plaques is
hastened and nourished by a systemic
inflammatory responses generated by
such chronic dental inflammation.
Evidence now directly ties this state
to the initiation and progression of car
diovascular disease. Such findings do
not deny many other factors involved
in this major human destructive vascu
lar disorder, but these dental problems
are now an established and important
factor in that disorder’s initiation and
progression,
Newer evidence also clearly involves
this dental disease with the establish
ment and with the control of diabetes.
This relationship, however, turns out
to be a two way street in that diabe
tes will further work unwanted and
destructive changes in the gums whilst
the gum disease helps to initiate dia
betes and can make it very difficult to
control.
How could periodontal disease pos
sibly cause diabetes in the first place?
Well, this new evidence shows that
the absorbed inflammatory cytokines
produced locally by the inflamed gums
will in time cause generalized insulin
resistance - the first step towards dia-
betes2. Moreover, and equally destruc
tive, such inflammatory agents will
make the diabetes so-generated, more
difficult to stabilize and control.
In view of this growing list of major
health calamities (even some prema
ture labor is now also a likely associate)
fostered by our poor dental hygiene and
health, improving this oral community
has intensely important implications
for us.
Add to that the great value in just
feeling good and clean mouth-wise,
being able to enjoy immense food vari
eties in oral comfort and bliss, of not
having to drop our fake teeth into a
bucket of water every night, plus being
able to enjoy others close company
without offending visually or odorously
- add all that and we have overwhelm
ing reasons to clean up our dental act.
Our dentist or hygienist will happily
advise any of us about the best equip
ment plus the best way and the best
times to brush what we have.
Moreover, they will let us know
about the importance of flossing and
water-piking (my hands-down favorite)
as well as the proper times to use these
devices to plough out or to blow out the
pockets of food and debris that nestle
between our teeth while nourishing
disease.
The rest is up to us. □
Local residents donate holiday
collections to Senior Care Center
Both collections were unveiled at
the Senior Care Center’s holiday cel
ebration on Nov. 25, and were a hit
with residents, visitors, and staff. “We
are so thankful to the Freyers for mak
ing this holiday season a wonderful
time for our residents,” Thurber said.
“Every gift we receive for the Senior
Care Center helps create a place where
our residents will thrive and assures
their families that their loved ones are
being well taken care of.”
For more information about the
Foundation, call 912-466-3360 or visit
St. Simons Island residents Fred
and Elizabeth Freyer recently donated
their North Pole Village and Snow Vil
lage holiday collections to the South
east Georgia Health System Senior
Care Center. According to Elizabeth
Freyer, there are more than 1,000
pieces in the collections she acquired
over the last several years.
“I displayed them for years in our
house in Atlanta but when we moved
here (in 2001), I didn’t have the space
and I wanted to share them with oth
ers,” she said. “At first I thought about
donating them to the 1
Katherine (Thurber,
director of develop
ment of the Southeast
Georgia Health System
Foundation) suggested
that we donate them to
the Senior Care Cen
ter."
"Since my mother
spent many years
in a nursing home, I
thought that was a
wonderful idea—any
thing to bring a little joy
to the residents’ lives. I
think the residents will
particularly enjoy the pj c t urec j W jfh the Snow Village during the holiday
Snow VilmP'f} which is ^ ^ 7
a more nostalgic collec- celebration are from left: grandson Thomas Had-
tion of past periods in er l e ' n ' Fred Freyer, granddaughter Kendall Had-
history, and has some erlein, son-in-law Rob Haderlein, Elizabeth Freyer,
pieces that are from 25 grandson Reese Freyer IV, and daughter Sally
to 30 years old.” Freyer Fladerlein.