The Smile Blog

There is an ancient Ayurvedic practice of “oil pulling” that has been used as a remedy for oral health problems.  It involves the use of pure oils such as cold pressed sesame oil, coconut oil, and sunflower oil.  Approximately one tablespoon is taken in the mouth and “swished around” (pushed and pulled through the teeth) for 10-15 minutes and then carefully spit out followed by a thorough rinsing to ensure that all bacteria and toxins are discharged to avoid being reabsorbed.  Claimed benefits include strengthening of teeth and gums, prevention of cavities and gingivitis, prevention of bad breath, potential remedy for bleeding gums and other possible benefits beyond the mouth.  The biggest challenge with the practice of oil pulling is that most people find it extremely difficult to keep moving the oil in their mouth for the recommended 10 to 15 minutes it takes for the treatment to be effective.

We believe we have an excellent alternative to “oil pulling”; simply use Perfect Smile’s alcohol-free Mouthwash in addition to your normal brushing and flossing routine.  Our Mouthwash contains three tremendously beneficial ingredients to promote oral health; MicroActive CoQ10, Xylitol and Vitamin C.

As we all know, in the days going back to Christopher Columbus, sailors were routinely afflicted with scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C that caused gums to bleed and teeth to fall out. Perfect Smile Mouthwash contains Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate, a highly bioavailable, more stable and longer-lasting form of Vitamin C.

Xylitol is another key ingredient in Perfect Smile Mouthwash.  Xylitol has been proven in numerous clinical studies to reduce dental plaque with its anti-microbial properties that kills bacteria, especially the most harmful Streptoccus mutans.

Most importantly, Perfect Smile Mouthwash contains MicroActive® CoQ10, proven to build strong, healthy cells that help to prevent and reverse the symptoms of gum disease.  CoQ10 has demonstrated in numerous clinical studies to effectively treat gum disease.  And, the MicroActive form of CoQ10 used in Perfect Smile products is a water soluble complex that delivers maximum benefit to gum tissue because of its superior bioavailability.   In addition, our Mouthwash contains zinc lactate which kills the volatile sulfur compounds that typically cause bad breath.

Here at Perfect Smile, we are always “pulling” for our customers to achieve perfect oral health.  So as an integral part of a complete oral care program, we recommend “swishing” Perfect Smile Mouthwash for 1-3 minutes following brushing and/or flossing.  This will allow the Xylitol to kill bad bacteria while the gums are absorbing the Vitamin C and MicroActive CoQ10.

To help you get started on this recommended procedure, we have reduced the price of our CoQ10 Mouthwash by $1.50 per bottle at all quantity levels now through March 31st.

Regular dental checkups can help you keep gum disease in check.

It’s not something that we talk about often, but gum disease affects a significant amount of adults and left untreated, can lead to permanent tooth loss.  In addition, because diseased gums have a direct path to your blood flow, disease in your mouth can easily cause other health problems. There is lots of evidence that those with gum disease are at a higher risk for heart problems including strokes and heart attacks. But there are some things you can do to help lower your overall risks of gum disease:

1) Visit your dentist regularly, and more often as you get older.
2) Brush your teeth, use mouthwash and floss daily.
3) Use Perfect Smile CoQ10 Oral Care Products to deliver powerful disease fighting supplements right to your gums.

Read more about gum disease and heart health here.

Just as with the rest of our body, it becomes more challenging to keep our mouth healthy as we age. Prescription drugs, poor oral care, smoking, age related bone loss and a host of other challenges all start to take their toll on our teeth and gums. According to an article published by Dr. Kevin Boehm of Chicago Healers, there are some things you can do to improve the health of your teeth and gums and help keep gum disease at bay.  These include:

– Daily flossing
– Switch to using and electric tooth brush or other similar teeth cleaning tools
– Using an alcohol-free, gum-disease reducing mouthwash 1 to 2 times daily
– More frequent visits to the dentist
– Take antioxidant supplements including Vitamin C, Vitamin E and CoQ10

Regarding supplements, Dr. Boehm explains,

“Antioxidants help neutralize toxins on a cellular level and help in the fight against periodontal disease. We can’t necessarily turn back the clock on aging, but with some intelligent dietary and supplement assistance we can certainly affect positive change!”

For maximum antioxidant protection for your teeth and gums, check out the Perfect Smile Advanced CoQ10 Oral Health System with Fluoride or the Fluoride-Free version. This complete oral care package provides toothpaste and mouthwash that contain our exclusive formula of MicroActive® CoQ10, a highly absorbable type of Vitamin C and tooth decay fighting Xylitol. Also included is a 30 day supply of our Dental Health Formula supplement containing 100mg of MicroActive® CoQ10 which can help to double your CoQ10 levels in 3 weeks!  Each item can be purchased separately, but you save $8 by purchasing them in the Advanced CoQ10 Oral Health System!

Read Dr. Boehm’s complete article in DentistryIQ here.

Replacing your worn toothbrush more often can help improve your dental health.

Leading tooth brush manufacturers and even the ADA recommend that you change your tooth brush every 3 or 4 months.  A new study out of the University of Gottingen in Germany shows that changing your toothbrush more often can significantly improve your oral health.

Researchers determined that, on average, Germans changed their tooth brush every 6 months. The study followed two groups, one that used a tooth brush for a half of a year at a time like most Germans, and the other which changed their toothbrush every  month.  After 6 months they checked up on the subjects and found that those using the same brush for the whole time showed signs of inflammation in their gums which can eventually lead to more serious dental problems. Those in the study that changed their tooth brush every 4 weeks showed much better overall dental health and did not show any challenges with plaque building up on their teeth.

Read the full article about the University of Gottingen study here.

Perfect Smile offers the only complete line of oral care products that deliver highly absorbable CoQ10 to your teeth and gums with our toothpaste, mouthwash and chewing gum. CoQ10 has been shown to reduce gum inflammation and other symptoms of gingivitis and other more serious forms of gum disease. Using Perfect Smile CoQ10 Toothpaste, Alcohol-free CoQ10 Mouthwash and CoQ10 Chewing Gum in conjunction with changing your toothbrush every month can significantly improve your overall oral health.

A recent study from researchers in Sweden and just published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests that poor dental hygiene is associated with an increase in death from cancer. The study measured the amount of dental plaque (the yellowish bacterial film that forms naturally on teeth) that was present in the mouths of those subjects in the study. The study followed 1390 subjects over a 24 year period and concluded that those with higher amounts of dental plaque and tartar along with inflammation of the gums, died from cancer at a higher rate compared to those who had better oral health overall.

Daily oral care is key to healthy teeth and gums.

This is just one of a number of reasons to pay particular attention to your oral care routine. Brushing and flossing daily as well as regular visits to your dentist and hygienist for professional teeth cleaning and checkups is extremely important to overall health. The ingredients in Perfect Smile Oral Care Products like antioxidants Microactive CoQ10 and Vitamin C along with bacteria fighting Xylitol can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums.

Resources:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/06/12/does-more-dental-plaque-mean-higher-chances-of-dying-from-cancer

www.bjm.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_plaque

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculus_(dental)

http://www.xylitol.org/dental-benefits-of-xylitol

What's in your toothpaste?

It was recently reported that the Canadian government has asked companies using chemical Triclosan in their products to voluntarily remove the ingredient from their formulations. The concern is that Triclosan will begin to build up in the environment and then cause problems with microorganisms, plants and animals. Triclosan is included  in many anti-bacterial hand soaps and also in Colgate Total toothpaste. In soap, its presence is intended to help kill bacteria, although the FDA has stated that there is no evidence that Triclosan provides any extra benefits. Colgate Total uses Triclosan as the key gingivits fighting element in their toothpaste.

One of the most significant claims againt Triclosan is that studies show it can combine with chlorine from tap water to form chloroform and chloroform is considered likely to cause cancer by the U.S. EPA.  Another concern is that when released into the environment through waste waster, Triclosan may interact with plants and inhibit photosynthesis. Triclosan has also been found in concentrations which can cause health issues in marine life such as bullfrogs and dolphins.  Studies also suggest that Triclosan can affect the human body’s immune system and increase the possibility of allergies and hay fever.  It should be noted that studies have been conducted which have found no direct human health issues with the use of Triclosan used in toothpaste.

For those concerned about the effects that Triclosan may have on the environment as well as animals and humans, there are alternatives. One would be to stop using soap, hand sanitizers and other such products that include Triclosan.  Triclosan is listed as an “active ingredient” when it is included in the product.

For persons seeking an alternative to Triclosan in preventing and fighting gum disease, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has been shown to be effective in treating gingivitis when applied to the gums.  CoQ10 is a substance that occurs naturally in the body.  It has a dual function, to provide energy to all the cells in the body and to act as a powerful free-radical fighting antioxidant. CoQ10 has been shown to provide a host of healthly benefits including lowering blood pressure, increasing cognitive abilities, increasing energy, and as stated above, helping reduce the signs of gum disease (gingivitis).

Perfect Smile offers two toothpastes as well as mouthwash and chewing gum, all which include Microactive CoQ10, an exclusive, highly advanced formulation of CoQ10.  Microactive CoQ10 can be absorbed more readily by the body than regular CoQ10. And unlike regular CoQ10 which is fat-soluble and therefore water-resistant, Microactive CoQ10 has been formulated to be water soluble and therefore it is easily absorbed into the gum tissue.  The complete line of Perfect Smile CoQ10 Oral Care products can be purchased online at www.4theperfectsmile.com.

Sources:
http://www.montrealgazette.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

Titanium Knee Joint

The systemic connection between our mouths and the rest of our body has been the subject of scores of studies in recent years. We recently posted an article about how “Your Dentist Can Save Your Life” that discussed how many ailments evidence themselves in your mouth. Your dentist may be able to give you a “heads up” on other diseases or deficiencies that might be occurring in your body based on what he or she sees going on with your teeth, gums, tongue and throat.

Now, a new potential connection has been made between oral bacteria and the failure of hip and knee replacements. Doctors and researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, tested DNA of bacteria in the joints of patients who have had joint replacements that failed and found that this bacteria had the same DNA as bacteria found in plaque taken from people with gum disease. While they explain that much more research regarding this possible connection is needed, the doctors conducting the study are hopeful that treating gum disease will help patients avoid the need for joint replacements in the future.

Read more about the CWRU oral bateria study here.

Question: Is your Natural Fluoride-free CoQ10 Toothpaste safe for kids?

Answer: As with any toothpaste, parental supervision is recommended for use by children.  Nobody (children or adults) should swallow toothpaste, especially fluoride toothpaste.  On our CoQ10 Toothpaste with Fluoride Toothpaste Carton under directions it states:  “Supervise children as necessary until capable of using without supervision.  Children under 2 years of age, consult your dentist or doctor.”  Because there is no fluoride (an FDA regulated ingredient) in our Natural CoQ10 Toothpaste, there are no such warnings required, however we still recommend that you always supervise your child’s oral care activities.

Research has found that there is a connection between periodontal disease (gum disease) and other ailments such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.  Although it is not totally clear as to why this connection exists, one thought is that poor dental hygiene can cause excessive growth of bacteria in the mouth.  These bacteria may not initially cause problems in the mouth, but can enter the bloodstream through the gums and can then clump on blood vessel walls and grow into plaque that clogs the arteries and eventually leads to heart attacks and strokes.

As recently reported by ABC News, Dr. Daniel Meyer, the Senior Vice President of Science and Professional Affairs for the American Dental Association has stated that “Regular dental visits are important to diagnose and treat dental disease.  Some conditions in the mouth may indicate disease elsewhere in the body, so by maintaining a schedule of regular dental visits, the dentist can certainly refer patients to physicians or other health care providers for evaluation of potential systemic disease.”

To help safeguard your overall health as well as your teeth and gums, be sure to practice good oral hygiene and see your dentist for regular checkups and cleaning.  Using Perfect Smile toothpaste and mouth rinse containing ingredients that help promote healthy teeth and gums like CoQ10, Xylitol and Vitamin C, along with daily flossing will help you achieve and maintain good oral health.

In the near future we will relay some exciting news about a new technology that will soon be available to your dentist which will help him or her to identify the potential for periodontal disease well in advance of it actually occurring.