Calcium Vital to Denture Wearers.
Everyone bites his cheeks or tongue occasionally. These two parts of your mouth guide and hold
the food between the teeth to effect its mastication. When you think of the thousands of times the
cheeks and tongue guide and hold the food, it is a wonder we don't have this trouble more often.
Once these tissues are bitten some swelling occurs. It then becomes quite easy to rebite the
swollen area.
If you frequently bite the same place, you should see your dentist. This is often due to the way
the upper and lower teeth come together. If tooth positions are abnormal your dentist can adjust
the bite by slightly reshaping the teeth in question. Abnormal wear which allows the tooth to
become sharp and jagged can also cause one to bite the inside of the mouth.
This is a common problem in horses. Most people, at least most horse lovers, know that when it
occurs, the horses teeth must be filed to stop the cutting of their checks and lips. People,however,
seem to be abnormally fearful of this simple procedure, feeling the dentist somehow is going to
ruin their tooth enamel in the process. I have never seen harm in such minor adjustment
procedures in thousands of instances but have witnessed much tooth destruction,because neglect
permitted the abraded or chipped teeth to more easily fracture.
If lips,tongue or cheeks are continually traumatized by jagged teeth or ill fitting dentures they at
times develop tumorous growths from the continual irritation. Even some oral malignancies have
such simple causes. Canker sores in the mouth are usually not due to vitamin or mineral
deficiencies but for the most part are caused by the organic acid found in fruit and fruit juices,
from nuts, and from chocolate.
Calcium vital to Denture Wearers. I have been wearing false teeth for sixteen years now. They
aren't as good as my own, but they have worked pretty good until lately. My mouth seems to be
sore a lot and the teeth don't stay down like they used to. My husband doesn't say anything but
my face looks sunken and thin. Would vitamins take away the sores and help my face look
better?
What has happened? Your gums have continued to shrink since you lost your teeth. This causes
the face to collapse, cheeks and lips to fall in,chin protrude, and the disappearance of the normal
cupid bow appearance of the lips. It's an all too frequent occurrence making the person look
older than his years, no matter what his age.
There is now good news for denture wearers. A recent study by Dr. Kenneth Wical, formerly of
the School of Dentistry at the University of Washington and of Loma Linda, shows a direct
relationship between the calcium levels in those who have excessive gum shrinkage and those
who do not.
Dietary studies of people who have lost their teeth proved that individuals having the most
shrinkage of alveolar ridges (gum and bone that formerly held the normal teeth) showed that they
had much lower calcium intakes than those having little or no bone loss. This fact shouldn't be to
surprising because one of the reasons people lose their teeth is low calcium intake.
The recommended minimum daily requirement for calcium set up by government sources is 800
to 1,000 mg. (12 to 17 grains). Although dentists make pretty good guesses as to the amount of
bone loss under artificial teeth, Dr. Wical has devised a method of measuring that loss. Once
reasonable accuracy in determining the actual amount of bone loss was established, comparisons
to dietary intakes of calcium became possible.
Dr. Wical found those having minimal loss had intakes of calcium averaging 933 mg. While
those with severe resorption ingested only 533 mg. The individuals with low consumption all
reported they were on good diets to the same degree as those on normal level. This is an old story
to nutritionists. Almost everyone reports they eat a good diet. Hardly anyone thinks his food
intake is insufficient in any way.
Copyright (c) 2007 Sung Lee, and George Meinig D.D.S