Don't Be Fooled By The Dental Health Product "Revolution"

Every few months it seems like some "revolutionary" new dental health product is touted as the cure-all for all of our problems where our teeth are concerned. Sometimes, it is some newly designed brush that can somehow reach those hard-to-reach crevices in our teeth that will finally help us beat tooth decay. Other times, it may be some new toothpaste that can finally put an end to tartar and plaque and thus solve all of our dental health and oral hygiene problems. But of course then we still have to worry about our nutrition for dental health.

Or perhaps it is possible that we have been losing the struggle against tooth decay for all these years because we have been using the wrong toothbrush. While you may wonder how many times the toothbrush can be redesigned or whether toothpaste can possibly get any better, the truth is that all of these advances are actually designed to combat the true cause of common dental problems-anaerobic bacteria.

In all reality, there have really only been a couple of major advances in dental health and oral hygiene in the past 50 years-fluoride and sealants. After World War II, it was discovered that fluoride can help improve the strength of the enamel covering our teeth.

It is enamel that protects teeth against the anaerobic bacteria which cause tooth decay. Brushing and oral hygiene are concerned with removing these bacteria from the enamel surface. If the bacteria find food particles on your teeth, they will begin feeding and secrete an acid that destroys enamel-and opens the door to cavities. Because fluoride increases the strength of enamel, it is a definite benefit to oral health and the prevention of tooth decay. Still, despite the fact that fluoride is believed to have reduced the number of cavities by 30-50% since its introduction in dental health products and community water supplies, the statistics remain alarming where tooth decay is concerned:

• 87% of all adults by the age of 40 have had a cavity (and in millions of cases-several cavities)
• 68% of us have at least one cavity by the time we are 19
• 25% of all people aged 60 and above do not have any of their natural teeth left
• 25% of preschoolers have at least one cavity before their adult teeth come in

A sealant is an invisible but protective coating that prevents cavities from forming. This protective layer is basically like adding heavy armor to the enamel of teeth and will not allow bacteria or food to penetrate and cause cavities for up to five years. Sealants are recommended by pediatric dental health professions as a way of protecting teeth so that children enter into adulthood with a full set of beautiful white teeth free from cavities. Nearly one-third of all school-aged children have sealants protecting their teeth.

However, sealants are not the end to dental health and oral hygiene concerns but they certainly are the most dramatic advancement in dental health products since the discovery of fluoride. Studies are currently underway to gauge the effectiveness of sealants in the battle against tooth decay. However, the sealant (not some special toothbrush or toothpaste) is the most revolutionary dental health product to be developed since fluoride and many in the medical community believe it may have a similar impact on the reduction of tooth decay.

To learn more about an all natural dental health product, follow the link.