Whole-Body Smile

Dry as a Bone

What happens in your mouth may be a sign that all is not well elsewhere in your body. Have you ever felt that you couldn’t produce enough saliva to keep your mouth primed for eating or talking? Having a dry mouth is more than just an annoyance. You’re less able to taste things when your mouth is dry and you have a higher propensity for gingivitis or inflammation of the gum tissues, because there isn’t enough saliva to irrigate around the gums.

“More often than not this is related to some type of medication you’re taking,” Lloyd says. “Medications that improve your blood pressure, if you’re hypertensive; medications or drugs that are used to improve your emotion—anti-depressants; or drugs that are used to control problems such as urinary incontinence. All of these types of drugs may affect the amount of saliva that’s produced in your mouth.  

“The first thing to do is to make sure you don’t exacerbate the problem by eating things that can cause tooth decay, like the sugar in candy, or sweets or pop,” he adds.

Saliva is a protective ingredient that maintains a certain pH level in the mouth. It establishes a healthy level of organisms that keep things in balance. “If that balance is skewed in even a small amount, you can have higher rates of tooth decay and gingivitis,” Lloyd says.

Working with both your physician and your dentist to determine whether medication is causing a dry mouth is absolutely necessary. Sometimes there are other medications that have similar therapeutic capabilities but don’t have dry mouth as a side effect.

A dentist can also counsel patients on dietary habits and special at-home treatments for dry mouth, including over-the-counter fluoride treatments. When used daily, they can help give your teeth more resistance to tooth decay in the absence of naturally protective saliva.

Dry mouth can also be a sign of undiagnosed or inadequately controlled diabetes. High blood sugar, or glucose levels, can dry out the mouth and create an environment in which bacteria thrive. And since people with diabetes have a lower resistance to infection, this sets the stage for gingivitis.

Absolutely Fabulous Smile

Even with a healthy smile in place, you might wish your teeth were more attractive. Lloyd has seen an increase in the number of patients concerned about their physical appearance.

“We know now as humans age, the whiteness of teeth declines,” he says. “Some of it is because of things they ingest, [some] because of the passage of time—the surface of their teeth becomes darker in color.”

Dental-office whitening treatments are a safe and effective means to lighten and brighten your teeth. But Lloyd also acknowledges the prevalence of at-home whitening kits. “You need to visit with your dentist first. Some of the home products work well for certain teeth,” Lloyd says. But, he cautions, “Don’t just buy a product off the shelf that won’t necessarily take care of your particular needs. You may need less, you may need more.”

In terms of straightening teeth or using cosmetic implants to make them appear straight, Lloyd says there really is no age limitation. “Many people think that the implant won’t bond with the jaw bone if you’re older,” he says. “But that’s not true.” Now you never have to give up on your smile.