Tags: Alta White, Bella Labs Teeth Whitening System, Idol White, teeth whitening, teeth whitening product

Posted: March 21st, 2011 under Cosmetic Dentistry.
Comments: 17

We all know that calcium is one of the primarily minerals and nutrients that can be found in a human body. Calcium is important for our dental and overall health, and nutrition experts recommend us adding plenty of natural sources of calcium to our daily diet. Or, some people who are in need of increased amounts of this mineral can sometimes make a choice to take calcium supplements. Calcium is the main building material for our bones and teeth, and it is estimated that 99 per cent of calcium in the body is stored in our teeth and bones. However, as we age, the ability of our body to digest calcium declines. That is why aging people are sometimes recommended to take the supplements. Unfortunately, along with positive effects of taking such supplements, there are also negative effects. According toe the findings of a study published recently in the Journal of American Medical Association, taking calcium supplements is linked to increased heart disease risk, especially in aging women.

Th research included collecting data and following about 4,000 study participants, women aged 50+, for the period of time over 12 years. This study was a follow up of another study which found out that men who take calcium supplements regularly have a little  higher heart disease risk compared to those men who never use this kind of supplements: for some men the chances to develop this serious disease go as high as 20 per cent. According to the published report about the study on women, it was discovered that the same kinds of risks are valid for women as well, and those who take calcium supplements have higher chances to die from a heart disease. The found out effects are most likely caused by excessive calcium getting collected in the arteries and this way increasing heat disease risk, as well as the risk for some other cardiovascular diseases.

Unnecessary calcium supplementation should be avoided at all costs, unless there’s a clear indication of deficiency ascertained by a bone scan or other vitamin deficiencies,’ said senior heart surgeon Dr Ramakant Panda, one of the leading heart surgeons and the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Asian Heart Institute, who led the study. He underlines that despite a common recommendation which people aged 55 and over can received from their dental care specialists to take calcium supplements in order to support their dental health, it is necessary to do everything possible to avoid using this supplements. He said that those who are taking the supplement have elevated heart disease risk which goes on increasing withing the time the supplement is being taken, so in the end of the ends the risk for developing a serious heart condition can go way higher than the stated 20 per cent.

So, the best solution is adding plenty of natural sources of calcium to our daily diet. Natural calcium does not have that property to build up in our blood vessels, but it is still recommended to control daily calcium consumption, especially in the elderly. Daily doses of calcium recommended by the specialists are the following: 900-1,000 mg calcium per day for men, and 1,300 – 1,400 mg of calcium per day for men. There are a few types of foods rich in calcium which can play a role of natural alternatives to calcium supplements. Those include cheddar cheese (contains 300 mg of calcium in 20 ml of high quality product), plain curd (450 mg in a small cup), soy milk (almost 400 mg per cup), milk (300 mg in one glass), and tofu cheese (250 mg per cup). Besides, such natural food as almonds and sesame seeds are also considered excellent sources of calcium. Learn more about the issue and consult your dental care specialist before taking calcium supplements.

Tags: calcium supplements, heart disease risk

Posted: April 11th, 2013 under Miscellaneous.
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Undoubtedly, poor dental health and serious dental problems are very often linked to other diseases and overall health conditions, both in men and women. This notion is especially true for various infections dental diseases like gum disease and others. Scientists discovered that those people who have gum inflammation or other bacterial dental problems always have certain amounts of bacteria entering their blood and being spread throughout their body. Thus such patients suffer from increased risk for inflammations in other various body organs. This phenomena has been studied these days, and there is a good number of researches resulted in proving the links between inflammatory gum diseases and such health problems as respiratory infections, bladder infections, etc. In addition, there are quite clear connections established between gum disease and elevated risks for heart attack, a stroke, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and other very serious health conditions which are, unfortunately, quite common in our times.

Recently, new related findings were published saying that there are links between bleeding gums in men and increased risks for erectile dysfunction. A group of Turkish scientists from the Inonu University, Izmir, Turkey, reported about finding solid scientific evidence to the stated fact. According to the report published earlier this month in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, those modern men who were diagnosed with severe gum inflammation, gum disease and bleeding gums have almost twice higher risks for suffering from erectile dysfunction and all related problems in their sexual life. Turkish scientists explain the condition with dental bacteria entering bloodstream of the infected men, causing most of arteries and blood vessels to narrow down and harden. This condition is similar to the one which marks the outbreak of heart disease. However, according to the researchers, it can also be a cause of erectile dysfunction, which is considered in scientific medical circles as one of a key warning signs for possible heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases in men.

For the experiment, the scientists at Inonu University invited a group of men suffering from chronic erectile dysfunction and a group of men who have never had the mentioned condition. It turned out that over 53 per cent of those men who suffered from erectile problems also had bleeding gums and gum disease. At the same time, only 22 per cent of the men from the same group had no infection gum disease, but still were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. It is supposed that vessel narrowing and hardening interferes with normal blood supply, and blood circulation slows down a little. These effects are sometimes quite considerable, and that is why those men who suffer from inflammatory dental diseases (mainly gum disease) very soon start having problems like erectile dysfunction, as well as have increased risks for heart disease, a stroke, or other cardiovascular problems. Unfortunately, the nature of the discovered links is still not studied properly and fully understood, but further studies are planned to look closer at the problem.

In addition to that, the scientists managed to find out that there are other risks related to the bacteria that goes into the bloodstream. The researchers suggest that the bacteria can start certain reactions in our immune system, creating even more favorable environment for vessel inflammation and narrowing down. This phenomena mainly contributes to increased risks of clogged arteries and suffering from a stroke. Many other experts reacted on the findings of their Turkish colleagues and again pointed to the importance of proper daily dental care and dental disease prevention. ‘Removing food stuck in between your teeth close to gum lines is a really important step to preventing gum disease. Using interdental brushes or flossing is the best way of doing this,’ said Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation. He said that a proper oral care can be a key not only to good dental and overall health, but also an important factor to boost our success in personal life, our self-esteem and abilities to achieve in this life.

Tags: bleeding gums, erectile dysfunction

Posted: March 30th, 2013 under Dental Problems.
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