To my surprise, my visit with the dentist 3 months ago revealed deep pockets, bleeding gums and a level of tarter that seemed to be more prevalent than in my past visits. I was, of course, approached by my dentist and was asked "what happened? "What has changed?" I remarked truthfully that I had no idea which was met with a look of "your lying" behind those clean, white, sparkling smiles of the office staff. I have been flossing (about 4 times a week), rinsing, brushing 3 times a day as usual so a big change in my dental health meant something had changed dramatically. I was scheduled again in 3 months.
After I left the dentist, I was determined to step up my dental hygienic even more. I flossed more than ever, brushed more and rinsed for 2 minutes morning and night. I was determined to bring my teeth back to normal health. I actually felt that I was doing it too much. I had a slight ache and I did notice my gums bleeding when the goal was not to have them bleed. It made me take a step back and wonder why it still was happening and I thought I might be doing it a little too forcefully. I tucked the thought far back in my mind after that.
Today was my 3 month return back to the dentist. I was all ready to hear about my marked improvements and low and behold, nothing improved! I do drink coffee and herbal teas which stains. (Nothing on the outside of my teeth though I could not see around the inside of my teeth). How can it be no improvement at all? Of course, the questions came again on what I am doing, what I am eating (I eat healthy regularly eliminating white sugar), medications, etc and again, the look came but it was more a look of concern. The next steps to combat this issue were given to me but a thought came to my head. Can menopause cause oral health issues? I brought the topic up to the dentist and the notion was quickly dismissed saying it does not affect your oral health. Being a curious person, I was compelled to do my own research and I am glad I did.
In my search for answers, I found a comprehensive research paper on Oral Health and Menopause located in the National Institute of Health Library of Medicine. It was full of information as well as coming from a trusted source. I have found that the answer is "Yes", there are definite connections between Oral Health and Menopause.
The deterioration of oral health is prompted by the changes in hormonal levels during menopause. It has been found that gums become more sensitive to plaque which can result in gingivitis and advanced periodontitist. (This is also seen during pregnancy since the hormonal levels change temporarily)
The changes that have been observed are:
- The fluctuation of hormones has resulted in gum bleeding and discomfort
- Ageing of the oral tissue
- Loss of bone in in the jaw
- Dry mouth and/or burning sensation in the mouth
- Hyposalivation (decrease in salivary flow)
- Floss properly (Now advised to do it twice a day)
- Brush thoroughly with a fluoride toothpaste (That supports gum health with a rotating brush)
- Irrigate (water pick type of tool that can take the place of flossing)
The standard tartar control rinses are also beneficial as long as it was held in the swooshed around in the mouth for at least 60 seconds.
In addition, it was noted was that Hormone Replacement Therapy did not show an improvement in oral health during a study over a 12 month period. It still remains a controversial topic.
And so I begin my quest to turn my oral health around and show marked improvements by my next appointment (in 3 months once again). At this point, I feel that growing old gracefully is creating quite a challenge for me. I am hoping that this challenging thought lessons by my next post!
Ref Source:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3793432/
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