Gum Disease

Concerned about gum disease, Gerald Dageford decided to try an anti-tartar toothpaste. Within days, his gums bled and his teeth ached. When he stopped using the toothpaste, his painful symptoms disappeared. Dentists say Dageford's problem isn't unusual. His dentist sees one patient a week with similar ailments. "We used to see more cases," said Torrance dentist Alan Jones. "But we've taken most of our patients off the toothpaste."

They promise to kill bad breath. They promise to ward off gum disease. They promise to kick plaque right in the teeth. Promises! Promises! With so many pledges, you'd think mouthwashes were running for public office. Do they really do all they claim or are they just another pretty bottle on your bathroom shelf? According to the experts, mouthwash has its place in your mouth, but its effectiveness depends on a number of factors, including using the proper wash. Yes, not all mouthwashes are alike.

Were those champagne corks popping at the latest dental convention? Perhaps periodontists were celebrating their job security. Not only do these gum docs have demographics on their side--as the U.S. population grows older, more people develop gum disease--they also seem to have the economy working for them. You've probably read that Americans are saving less and are deeper into debt than they have been in years.

The possible connection between gum disease and other health problems creates a new responsibility for consumers -- to learn the condition of their gums. Gum disease is assessed by measuring the depth of "pockets," areas of inflammation where the gums separate from the teeth. "When the hygienist is making the measurements, an aware consumer should ask, 'What are my pocket depths?' " says Preston D. Miller Jr., president of the American Academy of Periodontology.

Floss this morning? Not exactly? Anybody who's ever been to a dentist has heard it already: Flossing and brushing keep the gums healthy so your teeth don't fall out, etc., etc., etc. But don't stop reading. This story won't bore you with the standard lecture about why flossing is good. No, the news here is something the hygienist probably didn't say. It turns out more could be at stake than teeth. Maybe your heart, for instance.

Drinking alcoholic beverages might one day be added to the list of risk factors for gum disease. A study of nearly 40,000 male health professionals by researchers at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine found that men who drank alcohol had an 18% to 27% higher risk of periodontitis than men who didn't.

Never mind that dental floss comes in tasty flavors like mint and cinnamon. Or that ultrasonic toothbrushes whirl away at an impressive 31,000 brush strokes a minute. Or even that the wide variety of toothpaste and mouthwash brands takes up half an aisle of display space in many markets. Gum disease, the major cause of adult tooth loss in the U.S., is still rampant. Nearly 30 million Americans have gum disease, some of it serious enough to put them on the risk list for dentures.

Dentists can be so cruel. Now we're not referring to pain, though goodness knows the shots, awkward positions and drilling can be unpleasant. Instead we're talking about psychological distress brought on by guilt. Dentists' offices often sport wall posters declaring, "You don't have to brush all your teeth--just the ones you want to keep." It seems that no matter how much you brush or floss, the dentist always finds more plaque to scrape away.

Colgate-Palmolive is betting $100 million on a new product launch aimed at dimming the smiles of Crest marketers in the tooth-and-gum battle for a place atop American toothbrushes. Colgate's new Total is the only toothpaste the Food and Drug Administration has approved as a fighter of gum disease.

A century ago Americans expected to lose their teeth by middle age. Now, of course, dentures and old age don't have to be synonymous. With declines in tooth decay since the 1970s and an emphasis on prevention, fewer people are toothless today than a generation ago--30% of adults 65 or older compared with 46% two decades ago, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's report on oral health in America.