Episode 098 | The Real Pandemic
Transcript:
Hello and welcome to episode 98 of Elmar´s Tooth Talk: The missing link to total health.
In today’s episode, you discover what we can really call a pandemic. A disease that has spread around the globe. A disease which the WHO says 3.5 billion people suffer from.
What’s in it for you in this episode:
We talk about:
- WHAT is the real pandemic?
- HOW many people are affected worldwide?
- WHAT cost does it cause?
- WHAT other diseases can it affect or cause?
- WHY people suffer from it?
- HOW you can find out if you suffer from it?
- WHAT to do about it?
Over the last few years there was a lot of talk, hysteria and division about a pandemic which as we know did not qualify as a pandemic, to say the least.
A real pandemic according to Merriam Webster Dictionary is an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area, such as multiple countries or continents, and typically affects a significant proportion of the population
Only few people have realised that for three decades a real pandemic has spread over the planet.
The pandemic’s real name is Gum disease also called Periodontal disease or Periodontitis.
What gum disease is, I have already explained in Podcast episode 13.
Today we want to look at the impact this menace is causing.
So, here are some facts from recent research.
- Gum disease is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of humans.
- Its global incidence has doubled from 1990 to 2019 and it’s still gaining more and more momentum.
- 8 out of 10 people aged 35 and over suffer from some kind of gum complaint.
- Gum disease is significantly and independently associated with the major chronic inflammatory diseases of
- ageing,
- cardiovascular disease,
- type-2 diabetes,
- rheumatoid arthritis,
- chronic kidney disease,
- obesity and
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Gum disease is also correlated to:
- lung diseases,
- gastrointestinal problems
- cancer,
- Alzheimer’s disease and
- miscarriages.
- According to the WHO’s latest Oral Health report from 2022, 3.5 billion people worldwide suffer from gum disease. This is a whopping 43%
- Severe periodontal disease causes significantly elevated risk for coronary artery (heart) disease.
- People who invited type 2 diabetes in their life and on top suffer from a severe form of periodontal disease have a three times greater mortality risk compared with people with no or mild periodontitis.
- People suffering from sadness, helplessness and other symptoms of depression, are almost 20% more likely to also have severe gum disease
The estimated direct and indirect costs of periodontitis amount to the following figures.
In 2018 periodontal disease caused an estimated overall cost of $154.06 billion in the US and 158.64 billion Euro in Europe.
For Europe alone this is 100 times more than the official NATO budget of 1.56 billion Euro.
These figures are enormous and show that the economic burden of periodontal disease is pandemic.
In Germany 30 million people are affected by periodontitis. This is a stunning 35% out of a population of about 84 millions.
Interestingly, there are only 1.1 million treatments nationwide every year.
Frighteningly little!
And I bet it is not much different in the UK or the US.
This situation can really be called a pandemic.
The following quote from a cardiologist says it all:
“Today’s coronary artery bypass patient is yesterday’s periodontitis patient”!
Here is a list of 15 simple questions to check how likely it is that you suffer from gum disease.
- Do your gums bleed when brushing, flossing, eating?
- Do you have swollen gums?
- Do you have pain in the gum?
- Do you have excess amounts of build up?
- Do you have wobbly teeth?
- Do you have bad breath?
- Are you addicted to smoking, vaping, drinking or sugar?
- Are you on any medication?
- Do you deal well with stress?
- Do brush your teeth at least twice a day?
- Do you brush your teeth for least three minutes?
- Do you floss every other day?
- Do you clean / scrape your tongue daily?
- Do you eat a good diet? I’m not touching this minefield today!
- Do you have a regular fitness routine?
- Do you breathe through your nose? Especially at night?
- Do you suffer from any chronic illnesses?
Ideally, you answered “NO” to the first nine questions and “YES” to the last eight.
A healthy diet is as important for your oral health as is a proper oral hygiene regime.
Don’t panic! If you haven’t.
Just to let your hygienist or dentist have a look.
In a healthy mouth and therefore healthy body, gum disease doesn’t stand a chance.
Listen to episode 13 for all the contributing factors.
Your dentist might tell you that you need to come for a hygienist treatment every six or even three months to stay on top of the problem.
What’s wrong with this?
Well, what is wrong with this is like anything in medicine and dentistry that focuses on the symptom. That is wrong.
Why do you think you need to go for a hygiene treatment every six months?
To fill the dentist’s pockets? To have an hour off work? To check your pain threshold?
Very likely not.
It is because neither you nor your dentist or hygienist have dealt with the underlying cause of your problem!!
In my books it is still NOT normal to develop gum disease despite the fact so many people suffer from it.
Our teeth should sit firmly and flexibly in the jawbone.
Only when Gum disease strikes, the fibres and jawbones around the teeth get attacked and worst case destroyed.
Therefore, finding out what causes the disease is the start to curing it.
Reasons can be that your oral hygiene habits need some improvement, or you are on a certain drug prescription that causes gum problems.
Smoking and vaping can be part of the problem. So can too much alcohol or sugar.
Your diet and lifestyle have a huge impact and might require some adjustment.
By the way we see more vegans and vegetarians suffering from gum disease than omnivores or carnivores!
Most of the time, gum disease is not a local problem. It is a local symptom of a systemic disease.
You and your dentist must know this.
Therefore, it might be worth considering a visit to a holistic dentist because they normally have a broader view on dental health challenges and their underlying root causes.
The solution is definitely not to use more of the well known and advertised mouthwashes. They will make the situation worse.
But you must clean your toothbrush after every use. You can do this with Hydrogen peroxide – This kills the bacteria. Also replace your toothbrush regularly.
The best toothbrush, The Blotting Brush, is momentarily not available but we are working hard to find another manufacturer.
If you have once experienced the fantastic effects the Blotting Brush has, you don’t want to use a different one.
Please send us an email with the subject line “Blotting Brush” and we put your name on the list to be amongst the first to be notified once they are available again.
To summarize, there is an actual pandemic out there and the great news is, if you suffer from it, you can do something about it and heal yourself from it.
That’s it for today. Thanks for tuning in. Bye for now.
I like your optimism Dr Elmar. Covid 19 has caused some cases of vasculitis of the jaw bones leading to teeth being starved of nutrients. The teeth then chip, break off and fall out. I have been paying constant dental bills for a young man who over the last 2 1/2 years has lost all his teeth. Conventional dentistry tried fluoride fillings only to discover he is allergic to fluoride and also antibiotics which didn’t work. A poorly functioning gut exacerbates dry socket. Recently a left-in diseased ligament led to him having his arm temporarily paralysed for a few days and there were concerns at the local hospital to check whether he had suffered a stroke. Dentures are making a comeback!
Dear Lucie,
Thank you for sharing our experience with us.
Did the young man receive any Covid “vaccination”?
No Covid ‘vaccinations’ but several bouts of Covid. He suffered meningitis as a baby – possible inflammatory pathways?
Great podcast, I thought you were talking about flu not gum decay, amazing.
Please put my name on the list for blotting brush.
Many thanks
Mary Yule
Please add my name to the list for a blotting tooth brush
Thank you, Anna, will do.
Hi Elmar, could you.put my name down for a blotting brush please. Thanks
Thank you, Karen, will do
Please can I be added to the list for the Blotting Brush?
Dear Nicola, you are on the list
I wanted to add, thank you for this podcast. It is very interesting. Sadly you haven’t covered diet and I understand it is potentially a larger subject but diet IS where our health is very much affected, including the health of our teeth. It isn’t just from brushing and keeping our mouth clean. I know there is conflicting info too and maybe that’s more the reason why you didn’t want to go there but personally, after researching more into Keto and Carnivore, not suggesting this is for everyone, but the nutrition for cell renewal and optimum health is found in animal products. There is also many studies showing how vegetables can impact your health negatively which goes against what some vegans share. Some of these have been vegans for many years and then followed this path due to ill health. So I’m not bashing anyone, I wonder if we are just all quite unique in that different foods have different positive impacts on us. But when the evidence is there, repeatedly shown in actual experience I think it’s important for people to at least listen to what has been said. Not bashing for any reason. I think also when the world is trying to demonise things like eating red meat, considering the last three years, it’s important to look in every other direction for the truth.
Dear Nicola,
Thank you very much for your input.
You are absolutely correct, diet is a big player in this matter.
This is why I mentioned the following points in the podcast. You can read them in the transcript.
– A healthy diet is as important for your oral health as is a proper oral hygiene regime.
– Your diet and lifestyle have a huge impact and might require some adjustment.
– By the way we see more vegans and vegetarians suffering from gum disease than omnivores or carnivores!
– Most of the time, gum disease is not a local problem. It is a local symptom of a systemic disease.
And yes, diet is a minefield which comes close to war about religions where common sense goes out of the window.
However, there is hope.
A patient of hours is a passionate vegan and when he comes to see us we go out and have the biggest Tomahawk steaks available.
So change is possible.
If we look at facts even moral or ethic arguments can change.
Just looking at how many millions of tiny little and not so little animals are killed when grain is harvested should make the sacrifice of one cow that serves a 1.000 people be looked at in a different way.
Wouldn’t life be much easier if people didn’t go on a missionary zeal with their food preferences and allow everyone to make their own choices, speak their own truth and allow in their body or not what they deem best for themselves ….
Best wishes
Elmar
Blotting brushes please
you are on the list
Hi Elmar, could you. Put my name down for a blotting brush please.
what is the right diet? so many conflicting stories. (all of them wrong!)
thanks Annette
Hi Annette,
you’re on the list 🙂
regarding diet: last Sunday a patient of hours attended our talk in Tisbury. we haven’t seen him for a few months. His entire appearance, skin, eyes looked so different, so much healthier. It was very apparent that he must have made some changes to his life style. His answer to my question was, ” I’m now eating mainly meat and some vegetables.”
This is a prime example how beneficial for him the change to a more carnivore diet has been. I think there is no size fits all but tend to believe and experience on myself that I too thrive on a carnivore diet and not good at all on a vegetarian, vegan or frutarian diet. Been there, done it, ticked the box.
A few days ago a vegan social media influencer supposedly died of malnutrition ????