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Autoimmune Diseases and Oral Disease
Autoimmune diseases are the result of the body responding in an inappropriate manner to normal tissues and/or substances present in the body, causing prolonged inflammation followed by tissue destruction. The body is fooled and can’t recognize the difference between healthy tissue and disease. The body, therefore, mounts an immune response (directs antibodies against its own tissues) against itself, as if allergic to itself. The cause of this dysfunctional behavior is unknown, it may be caused by a drug or toxin or bacterial or viral infection or environmental exposure to foreign substances. The result of the body’s inability to recognize the difference between normal tissue and disease results in destruction. As we age, this alone causes our immune system to decline in effectiveness. Autoimmune diseases affect over 24 million Americans and are one of our society’s leading causes of death and disability. Autoimmune diseases are ranked as the number one cause of heart disease, cancer, and all diseases.
A couple of the most common autoimmune diseases are diabetes (Type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies. Many autoimmune diseases also may have a genetic or traumatic component.
Here is a short additional list of autoimmune diseases and more are being discovered all the time. All of these diseases should have the autoimmune prefix:
| Achalasia | Pancreatitis |
| Addison’s disease | Parkinson’s disease |
| Behcet’s disease | Pemphigus/pemphigoid |
| Celiac disease | Pernicious anemia |
| Crohn’s disease | Polymyositis |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Reactive arthritis |
| Dermatomyositis | Rheumatic fever |
| Eosinophilic esophagitis | Sarcoidosis |
| Fibromyalgia | Scleroderma |
| Graves disease | Sjögren’s syndrome |
| Guillain–Barre syndrome | Systemic lupus erythematosis |
| Hashimoto’s thyroiditis | Ulcerative colitis |
| Hepatitis | Uveitis |
| IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) | Vitiligo |
| Menier’s disease | Wegener’s granulomatosis |
| Multiple Sclerosis | Wilson’s disease |
| Myasthenia gravis |
Autoimmune Disease Causes: The immune system is also thought to be suppressed by multiple factors, including abuse of:
- alcohol
- caffeine
- tobacco
- sugar (this cannot be over-emphasized)
- drugs
- food (poor diet or contaminated with herbicides, hormones, etc.)
- sleep (lack of)
As well as exposure to environmental pollution, including:
- automobile exhaust
- chemical fertilizers
- cigarette smoke
- heavy metal
- herbicides
- industrial waste
- pesticides
- stress
So, what has autoimmune diseases and oral disease (periodontal disease and tooth decay) have in common? Well, much more than one might think: Plaque and calculus left on teeth cause inflammation, initially gingivitis, followed often by periodontal disease (which we used to refer to as periodontitis). Any time you see –itis on the end of a word, it is screaming inflammation. Remember: it is always means it is inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes destruction of tissue. Periodontal disease causes destruction of all periodontal tissues, gum, bone, and periodontal ligament, causing loss of teeth. Tooth decay causes loss of tooth structure. Since periodontal tissues are all tissues supporting teeth in the mouth, without them – no teeth.
How periodontal disease (inflammation of all periodontal tissues) leads to loss at of oral tissues, including teeth, is a simple model demonstration for what happens to a body with autoimmune diseases.
Anything that a patient can do to minimize or eliminate inflammation will lessen the effects of the disease. A few of the things a patient can do to lessen the effects of many of these diseases are to avoid abuse of/or exposure to the above mentioned factors. Also, as always, eat lots of antioxidants found in fresh fruit and vegetables. Include vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea extract, beta-carotene, grape seed-skin extract, coenzyme Q-10 (coQ10) and selenium in your diet.
Also, talk to your dental and medical professionals on current treatments. Find support groups, ask others with your particular autoimmune disease how they cope.
Good luck…keep brushing and flossing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Dry Mouth? Sjögren’s Disease?
Sjögren’s syndrome is a common autoimmune disorder affecting nearly four million people in the U.S. If you have Sjögren’s syndrome, you may have dry mouth symptoms. Dry mouth (xerostomia) can have multiple sources, for example:
- Lifestyle (smoking, chewing tobacco, mouth breathing)
- Dehydration
- Chemotherapy
- Nerve damage (to head and neck)
- Medications used as, or to treat:
| Acne | Muscle relaxers |
| Allergies | Nausea |
| Anxiety | Obesity |
| Asthma | Pain |
| Colds | Parkinson’s disease |
| Depression | Psychotic disorders |
| Diarrhea | Sedatives |
| Epilepsy | Urinary incontinence |
| Hypertension |
And certain diseases such as:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- HIV/AIDS
- Hypertension
- Mumps
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sjögren’s – a disease which I also am affected with
- Stroke
SJÖGREN’S DISEASE
Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the exocrine glands of the human body. The most common first symptom of the disease is DRY MOUTH and dry eyes. Because of the gradual onset of the disease, most patients are affected by the disease for five to seven years before a diagnosis of Sjögren’s disease is made.
Your dentist is often the medical professional to first recognize the symptoms of this chronic disease. Your dentist is also a most significant professional to have to support you if you are diagnosed with Sjögren’s or any of the above listed maladies, which result in DRY MOUTH.
People with dry mouth should carry water with them where ever they go, have it readily available at work, in the car, and next to their bed. The simplest solutions to a problem often offer the most immediate benefit.
Dry mouth leaves teeth without the protective enzymes found in saliva, making teeth much more prone to rampant decay. We, as dentists, can fluoridate teeth in various ways, to remineralize teeth and make them more resistant to tooth decay.
Anyone with Sjögren’s disease needs a dentist as part of their support group, to advise and treat the results of this disease. Anyone with dry mouth, for any reason, would benefit with a support dentist.
Always here for your support,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Thanksgiving, a Truly American Holiday
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Again, in 2011, the Thanksgiving holiday has come upon us quickly. The Christmas tree lot lights are set up and snow and ice greet us on our morning commutes.
A truly American holiday, Thanksgiving is a national day for us to express our gratitude for all the freedoms with which we have been gifted. This is a time to reflect on the many liberties we often take for granted.
Thank You to our service men and women who make our republic safe. Thank You to our forefathers with the vision to create a Constitution protecting our freedoms. Every person has the right to do what they wish with their life. Work hard and get ahead. Thank You for the Declaration of Independence which says all men are created equal, with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thank You.
Our country is a religious country with freedom for everyone to practice whatever religion they wish. And appreciative Americans pray often the shortest prayer on earth: Thank You. But, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. Americans are naturally thankful. Religious or not, Americans realize how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful country, rich in natural resources, with religious and civil freedoms for all. Thank You is a tremendously American expression.
And if there be anyone who wishes to know how to have a Happy Thanksgiving, merely analyze the expression. It is by giving thanks that we make ourselves and others happy. There are plenty of people that have less than “we,” no matter who “we” are. Therefore, to have a truly Happy Thanksgiving, simply give thanks by doing something for someone who has less than “we” do. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the least brothers of mine you did for me.” Find someone who needs anything and be the provider of that need. Such giving can be anonymous, which can be most rewarding. Give thanks often.
Share a smile!
James G. Hood, DDS, MA
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes
Patients fr om Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
School is back in session, always…
Everyone involved with a school schedule has probably by now settled into a routine. It always takes a while to get logistics set up for any family involved with a new school year. Our school-age patients are a little short on numbers at the very start and end of each new school year. Once people develop their unique program, it becomes necessary to negotiate, with relative comfort, a successful program for week after week that they can soon relax, exhale, and follow the plan.
At our home, that is a typed daily transport schedule for the 2011-2012 school year. Each child is listed on a daily time roster, who transports who, and to where, and by when. And, with multiple children in multiple schools, the schedule can at first seem hectic and confusing. However, with larger numbers of children, the demand for a clear plan becomes more and more necessary.
With the importance of scheduling, comes the exceptions: doctor’s appointments, orthodontic’s and dentist’s appointments, eye doctors, etc. Schedules are made to be broken, or so it seems. Time outside school can also be educational, as can transport. Hours of education can be added to a child’s education while being transported. Siblings or drivers can quiz each other on spelling, multiplication, tables, etc. Think of it, if just one concept was studied on each trip.
I once told a teacher, who was perturbed with me for taking my child out of school, that I was taking my daughter out of school on an educational outing and I said, “I think education is more important than school.” I would not recommend that comment to anyone, since teachers do operate most effectively with everyone present. My point, however, is if a child must be removed from school, have it be a learning experience. Ask them to report one thing that they learned by questioning their doctor, orthodontist, dentist, eye doctor, etc., about something they may not have learned in school. All professionals have much to offer in terms of education. If you must take off school, then make it an educational outing. Ask good questions. The quality of one’s life is measured by the quality of one’s questions. Ask thoughtful questions and…
Keep smiling!
Dr. James G. Hood
*~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Summer’s End
Photo by the Spokane Symphony
On the Saturday before Labor Day, the weather was ideal for outdoor activities. The Spokane Symphony, conducted by Eckart Preu, performed a free concert from 6-8 p.m. in the open-air ampitheater at Pavilion Park in Liberty Lake.
The annual celebration, which was also the 10th anniversary of the incorporation of Liberty Lake as a city, had something for everyone. Many people drove over from the nearby golf course and remained in their golf carts as an alternative form of seating. We also saw that a number of them used their golf carts for a sort of modified tailgate party and picnic. By evening, blankets and lawn chairs covered the grass.
The concert began by bringing everyone to their feet for the “Star-Spangled Banner.” This patriotic opening was followed by a wide variety of musical arrangements from the Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla to ragtime numbers and a “Symphonic Portrait of Irving Berlin.” The kids commented most on the arrangement of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Sandwiches and chips tasted even better than usual with such a melodious accompaniment and fresh community atmosphere. The city of Liberty Lake provided free slices of chocolate cake for dessert to everyone in attendance.
Pavilion Park is a truly wonderful retreat for the citizens of this lakeside suburb. Walkways wind through the shady trees encircling the open-air theater. A baseball diamond and soccer field are located above and back from the stage. Playground toys and restrooms are conveniently available in this idyllic park setting. This park is a community-building gift to the people of Liberty Lake. Throughout the summer, there are many events hosted at the park, including movies after dark. For a full list of these events, visit the Pavilion Park website at http://www.pavillionpark.org/.
Great classical music like that performed by the Spokane Symphony is not usually available to everyone in a community, so this was a fantastic opportunity for the general public to enjoy. This evening was a welcome and relaxing way to end the summer holiday. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture brought a dramatic close to this outdoor celebration, and was very fitting for the end of summer and the beginning of the Spokane Symphony’s 2011 season.
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