TEETH AS FOCI (CENTERS) OF INFECTION
Some years ago, infected teeth got the blame for many
diseases, especially arthritis, and "bad" teeth were extracted
wholesale in the hope that once these "foci" of infection were
removed, health would be restored. Now infected teeth are regarded as important
in disturbing general health and as accessory rather than prime factors in some
disease states.
The decision to have teeth pulled is a major one; and as in the
case of any operation, you should feel free to tell your dentist that you wish
a consultation with your physician or a specialist before proceeding. Be sure
to consult with your physician before having even a single tooth pulled if you
suffer from such problems as chronic heart trouble, rheumatic fever, high blood
pressure, diabetes, or nephritis.
REMOTE SYMPTOMS
RELATED TO FAULTY BITE
The way your teeth come together as you chew food may
cause or aggravate symptoms far from the teeth. A faulty bite can displace the
joints just in front of your ears where the jaws meet (the temporomandibular
joints). Their displacement may account for face or head pains, noise or
blocking of the ears, and dizziness with or without nausea and vomiting.
Patients usually seek their physician's advice for such conditions, but your
physician may advise that your bite may be the cause of such distress and needs
investigation.
With proper preventive dental care,
including the use of effective home methods of keeping the mouth healthy,
artificial teeth should become much less commonplace than they are now. If you
must use dentures, they should be removed and cleaned, and the mouth rinsed,
after every meal if possible. Don't use hot water which may warp or crack them.
Keeping the artificial teeth overnight in a glass of water has
helps to maintain their cleanliness. Artificial teeth should be checked
regularly to make certain that they have not warped out of shape and that a
change in your mouth or gums has not made them fit badly.
