Hi there, I’m Doctor David Cowhig, the founder of Dental Wellness in Brisbane, The Gap. Today I’m going to talk about how your energy levels can be linked to dental problems.
Energy’s a big, big problem. Many people walk around fatigued. They’re waking up tired and they’re just getting through the day, because their levels of energy are so low. They may have chronic fatigue or any one of a number of different conditions that lead to low energy.
I’m making this video to highlight how oral health can play a big part in the factors that affect your energy levels. My oral fitness plan involves multiple aspects of dentistry. I developed the acronym FITNESS to help you understand how it can affect you, your health, and your energy levels. Now, let’s look at what the letters in FITNESS represent.
The first letter “F” stands for the Function of your jaw. We all need to eat food, we all need to eat the right food, and we all need to chew food – it’s the first stage of digestion. If you can’t chew your food or you’re getting tooth or jaw joint pain, then you’re going to have problems eating the right food. Obviously nutrition is very, very important and proper digestion is the key to optimal health.
It’s important your jaw functions correctly, you’re not getting headaches, and you don’t have any TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, problems since they’re magnified at night when you’re sleeping. This has a great effect.
You may wake up with a headache, jaw pain, or sensitive teeth. That’s an indication of issues in your mouth affecting your breathing, stress levels, and your entire nervous system.
The second letter “I” is for Infection and Inflammation. When sleeping, many people breathe through their mouth and their mouth dries out. This can lead to a high risk of gum problems which starts off with bleeding gums.
Initially this low-grade infection doesn’t hurt, but it only gets worse if it’s ignored. Eventually, it can lead to a chronic condition called periodontal disease, or gum disease. However, even a low-grade infection can challenge your energy levels.
Another possible source of infection is impacted wisdom teeth. You may also have sockets that didn’t heal properly when you had a tooth removed. Sometimes root canals don’t remove all the infection or you have a dead tooth and an infection.
All these things should be assessed, because your body will constantly fight the low-grade infection. Your immune system will suffer because of it and your energy levels will drop.
The third letter is “T” for Toxicity. Dentistry has used metals in the mouth for over 150 years including gold and amalgam (50 percent mercury, 30 percent silver, and the remainder copper and tin). Unfortunately, the combination of metals in amalgam allows mercury to release from fillings. The more metal fillings in your mouth, the higher your risk of the negative effects of mercury.
Very small amounts of mercury in the form of vapour can be released as the amalgam filling wears and you breathe in this vapour. You can also dislodge small particles if you grind you teeth and these particles go into your saliva. That affects the flora of your oral microbiome and later your gut flora which can have various negative effects on your health. Consequently, we try to eliminate as many metals as possible since there are metal-free solutions for all dentistry procedures now.
The next letter is “N” for Nutrition. Nutrition is very, very important for overall health. If your diet isn’t suited to your body type then there’s a high risk your energy levels will be low. Some people follow a Paleo Diet and some are vegans. However, these diets aren’t suitable for everyone. If your energy level’s low, you may need to look at your diet and possibly change your supplements for better dietary balance and optimal energy.
The next letter is “E” is for ENT. ENT represents ear, nose and throat. While dentists aren’t ear, nose and throat specialists, we are starting to work with ENT professionals. We realise it’s so important to be able to breathe through your nose for optimal dental health.
If you’re not able to breathe through your nose, then your mouth will suffer. Again, mouth breathing can increase risk of gum disease, cause teeth clenching, or you could grind your mercury fillings. Any of these problems increases stress in the body which impacts your immune system.
When you’re a child, if you’re not breathing through your nose your jaw will develop in the wrong position, it will underdevelop, and it will affect your breathing and swallowing patterns. You’re more likely to need braces and orthodontics in the future, which we want to try and eliminate really as much as possible. As a result, if you want your child to have a nice broad, developed arch and a happy smile, you need to get your child breathing properly.
The next letter is “S” for Sleep. Once again, nasal breathing has an impact on sleep quality. We talk about sleep in dentistry a lot, but we’re not allowed to diagnose sleep apnoea. However, we do see the signs in the mouth when sleep apnoea causes you to hold your breath at night.
Worn teeth and acid erosion on the back of the teeth are common symptoms. We also see teeth getting smaller and sometimes darker. These are all signs you’re under immense stress at night. It may be because you’re not breathing through your nose or maybe you have tonsil issues.
Your body is constantly stressed and your jaw moves to try and optimise your breathing. Consequently, it’s often pushing your jaw forward and grinding the teeth away and the acid from your stomach can come up into your mouth and erode your teeth. This is why sleep physicians and dentists work together more often today.
We recommend you consider sleep studies in your own bed with your own pillow so you can see how well and how deeply you sleep. These are important concerns if you have energy problems.
The final “S” is for Smile. Everyone wants a natural-looking, beautiful smile and we can help you achieve that with the advances in dentistry today. Very, very non-invasive high-quality porcelain veneers can fill gaps and ceramic implants can replace missing teeth. Our all-ceramic restorations ensure you’ll have a beautiful, healthy smile.
When you’re smiling, breathing, eating, and sleeping well you’re more likely to have higher energy levels. Clearly, dentistry has a big influence of health, energy, and appearance.
Don’t ignore dental issues if you want to look and feel your best. They could be part of the reason why you’re less energetic than you should be.
Keep Smiling It’s good for You!
Dr David Cowhig, the founder of the Dental Wellness clinics, is a pioneer in holistic metal free dentistry & aesthetics, providing scientific-based biological dentistry. We support you as an individual and take into account the variety of factors that can lead to dental and oral health problems. We believe passionately that creating health and beauty around us is an integral part of life and you will feel these qualities in our dental care. You can find us at The Gap in Brisbane, focussing on holistic aesthetic total metal-free dentistry.
Contact Dental Wellness on 07 3511 1399 or email reception@dentalwellness.com.au.