Guest Blog: 6 Ways to Naturally Reverse and Heal Decayed Teeth
There is no argument about one thing – brushing is important when you have dental braces. Without proper oral care, you may face issues like tooth decay or cavities. If you do notice a cavity, there is a way to naturally reverse the decay and heal the teeth. Let’s see how you can do that.
- Make Changes in Diet
You can reverse tooth decay by making a few changes in your diet. Some adjustments include:
- Limit the consumption of sugary foods and drinks as sugars can cause plaque and cavities.
- Consume more calcium-rich foods such as broccoli and dairy to strengthen the teeth.
- Add Vitamins and Supplements to the Diet
Certain vitamins help in producing saliva. This, in turn, prevents the bacteria from staying on the teeth. Some vitamins also help in making the teeth stronger. Adding nutritious food to the diet can heal your teeth naturally.
Foods that promote salivation include peas, bananas, and brussels sprouts. Take supplements of Vitamin B, D, iron, and magnesium if you cannot get them from your diet. Eating whole-grain foods and seafood can give the required dose of nutrients and improve oral health.
- Practice Oral Hygiene
Good oral hygiene practices help in protecting the teeth from early decay. Also, make sure to follow a strict oral hygiene routine when you have braces.
- Brush twice a day to remove food particles stuck in the teeth and to keep them clean.
- Floss at least once a day to remove plaque and food that gets stuck under the gums and brackets
- Use a mouthwash to get rid of bacteria in the mouth
- Maintain Necessary pH Levels in the Mouth
Our teeth stay healthy in an alkaline environment. As soon as the pH levels start to dip below the neutral 7, our teeth will start to break down and demineralize.
When there is a pH imbalance, it can create an environment for bacteria to grow and thrive. Avoid foods that can cause pH imbalance such as coffee, citrus fruits or sugars.
Use a remineralizing toothpaste as it can increase the pH level of the mouth and strengthen the tooth enamel.
- Consume Natural Probiotics
Bad bacteria that cause infection search for smaller areas in the teeth to hide. They would decrease the pH value of the mouth as well. Probiotics help in offsetting the acidic pH in the mouth. Consume foods that are rich in probiotics such as curd, kombucha or sauerkraut.
These foods stimulate the production of healthy bacteria in the mouth. This further helps in preventing plaque build-up or decaying of teeth.
- Oil Pulling
This is a simple yet very effective detoxification process for teeth care that includes swishing oil in your mouth for a few minutes. This technique can prevent plaque build-up and gum diseases like gingivitis. Do not swallow the oil and rinse with warm saltwater after swishing. Follow this by brushing your teeth.
Though these natural methods can be very effective, remember that everyone responds differently to these methods. You must also visit your orthodontist regularly to make sure there are no dental problems.
Author Bio:
Dr. Satish Pai is an orthodontist and an Ivy League trained dentist who has served as a faculty at Columbia University. He believes that a perfect smile not only makes a person look great but feel great. As the founder of Putnam Orthodontics and a Partner at Rome Orthodontics, he is dedicated to providing the best orthodontic treatments to his patients. He also writes to educate people about everything orthodontics and the importance of correctly aligned teeth along with good oral health. In his free time, you can find him golfing, doing yoga or surfing, and spending time with his family.
End of Life: Palliative Care and Hospice
The human survival instinct is strong and our spirits are made to embrace life. But what happens when your loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness that has no cure? How do you reconcile the certain death of your spouse, parent, or child? Where can you turn when death is close or imminent?
We are fortunate to live in a society that supports excellent care for those who are coming towards the end of their life. As difficult as this journey is for persons and their family members, the appropriate level of service can provide the needed care and comfort to make the end of life a time of peace and reflection rather than pain and suffering.
Two major services are readily available to bring comfort and promote quality of life even until the end of life. These are palliative care and hospice.
Palliative care is a consultative service for those with life-limiting illnesses who may not yet meet the criteria for hospice or who do not wish to enter hospice yet. The focus of palliative care is comfort and symptom management, but patients may still continue treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, dialysis, home health, or other therapy. Palliative services can be provided in the acute hospital setting, in the home, or in a long-term care facility. A new program called PRIME (Progressive Illness Management Expertise) by AseraCare, focuses on symptom management, goals of care planning, medication management, and transition management. PRIME provides palliative care through nurse practitioners and social workers who coordinate care with your regular medical providers. For persons with serious chronic illnesses who experience recurring rehospitalizations, palliative care management can provide care coordination and smooth transitions to other settings, including hospice, at the appropriate time.
Hospice is a supportive and comprehensive service for those who are dying. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization states that the foundation of hospice and palliative care is the belief that “each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our families will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so”. Generally, to qualify for hospice a patient is expected to live 6 months or less. Hospice uses an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, home health aides, chaplains, bereavement counselors, trained volunteers and others to provide comfort and support to the dying patient and family. These services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private and commercial insurances. Hospice care can be provided wherever a patient lives, with 24-hour on-call availability.
End of life decisions are often difficult for families to discuss, but palliative care and hospice programs provide the help that is needed to have these conversations. Their aim is to help provide quality of life until death, helping people “live until they die”. If your loved one may qualify for assistance, don’t delay in seeking this support. It may be the best way you can help your family member have a peaceful end of life.
Guest Blog: Adjusting to Life After a Stroke
In America, stroke is the third leading cause of death. The brain and heart rely on each other to sustain basic functionality of the human body. The brain controls a large portion of the body’s range of capabilities and nerve signaling. Your brain has multiple purposes, but a single stroke can put those critical functions at risk. Communication, memory, emotional activity, and physical capabilities can all be affected when the brain is not operating at its utmost potential.
Difference Between a Stroke and a Heart Attack
A stroke and a heart attack may seem similar but are very different. Both ailments occur due to a shortage of oxygenated blood and blood flow, except strokes primarily affect the brain while heart attacks mainly target the heart. When the body’s blood flow to the heart is blocked, sometimes due to a blood clot, it can cause a heart attack. A stroke, on the other hand, can cause possible brain tissue to decay and long-term disability or death.
Stroke Causes
The leading cause of strokes is anything that leads to blocked blood supply or a burst blood vessel, cutting off the oxygen flow to the brain. A number of risk factors for a stroke, such as high cholesterol and obesity, can be medically managed or treated. Nevertheless, as with certain terminal conditions, particular risk factors are more challenging to address.
An individual’s lifestyle has a considerable effect on their health. Harmful choices can lead to chronic illnesses with detrimental long-term consequences. Nearly everything that goes into the body has the potential to affect your physical and emotional well-being. For example, eating highly processed fast food can possibly make the person feel groggy and lethargic, while a plant-based diet can help support a healthy immune system.
Controllable risk factors for a stroke are:
- Diabetes
- Lack of exercise
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Excessive alcohol or drug use
- Smoking
Uncontrollable risk factors include:
- Age: The risk of having a stroke doubles every ten years after the age of fifty-five.
- Race: Black and nonwhite Hispanic Americans are affected more than white Americans.
- Gender: Although strokes occur more regularly in men, women are more prone to suffer one later in life, placing them at higher danger of nonrecovery.
- Family history: Strokes are more likely to occur within families that carry genetic disorders.
Even if someone is taking good care of their body and do not carry any genetic risk factors, they can still be at risk due to:
- Geography: Strokes happen more in southeastern America than in the rest of the country, perhaps due to elements of the regional culture such as diet.
- Climate: Extreme temperatures increase the risk of a stroke.
- Economic and social circumstances: Particular evidence suggests that stroke cases are more prevalent in low-income communities.
Stroke Treatment
To properly treat a stroke, doctors must first determine the causes of the symptoms through a CT scan or other stroke tests. Stroke tests vary from simple physical analysis and blood analysis to more involved procedures such as echocardiograms, cerebral angiograms, MRI scans, or carotid ultrasounds. About a quarter of stroke survivors will suffer a second stroke, making immediate treatment vital.
Some steps to help stroke patients recover include seeking support and therapy, monitoring medications, being on the lookout for dizziness or imbalance, ensuring a healthy diet, and keeping the brain active. It is crucial to remember that recovering from a traumatic brain injury such as a stroke takes time and patience.
Recovery can be a long-term process. Hence, it is imperative to understand how the body and brain are affected. Refer to the following infographic made by Family Home Health Services for further information on brain recovery as well as stroke-prevention practices to incorporate into everyday life.
Guest Blog: Important Bathing Tips for Seniors
Important Bathing Tips for Seniors Searching for quick tips and ideas to make bathing safer for you or a loved one? Don’t miss this essential guide!
Fall-Proof the Bath/Shower
With seniors much more at risk for falling than non-seniors, it is critical to fall-proof one of the most hazardous rooms in the house – the bathroom. Install grab bars on the inside and outside walls of showers and tubs with wide grip surfaces to make holding and supporting yourself easier. Put down a non-skid mat outside of the tub or shower, as well as non-slip adhesive strips or mats that stick to the bottom of the bathing area.
Hang Toiletries
Simplify the entire process of shampooing and conditioning hair and lathering up with soap by hanging a toiletry dispenser over the shower head. Toiletry dispensers let you fill canisters with the liquids you use for bathing and access them hands-free in the shower (or often with the touch of a button). No more handling slippery bottles or bars of soap; toiletry dispensers are functional and safe and can be found online or in big box stores.
Wash Smarter
Good hygiene is paramount to your overall health and self-confidence and is just as important when you are a senior. If your old washcloth just isn’t cutting it anymore, invest in a low-cost bath scrubber that makes showering easier and more thorough. Hitting hard to reach places when you shower like your back and feet may be easier with a long-handled bath scrubber or loofah, preventing you from having to twist or bend over in a confined space like the shower.
Use a Removable Shower Head
As seniors age, agility and coordination may be compromised by weaker muscles and stiff joints. Instead of doing a dance in the shower to make sure you are fully rinsed off, get an easy-to-install removable shower head that allows you to better control the water flow and spray intensity. Handheld shower heads are also a smart addition to your bath or shower if you sit on a shower chair to bathe.
Being able to shower or bathe oneself plays an important role in maintaining independence and even being able to live on one’s own without assistance. For aging adults, taking precautions early with safety equipment and smart yet simple upgrades like toiletry dispensers may help prevent falls or injuries down the line.