Linda – The Probiotics Tooth Fairy

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The main oral-health concern for pregnant women is periodontal disease. The presence of periodontal disease, an infection of the gums and bones in the mouth, can lead to premature birth. According to a five-year study conducted by the University of North Carolina, pregnant women with moderate to severe periodontal disease are up to seven times more likely to deliver a premature baby with a low birth weight.

If your pets routinely have bad breath, it may be because the bad bacteria in their mouths. When the harmful bacteria in your pets’ mouths take over, they cause an infection in the gums, causing smelly breath. Both good and bad bacteria naturally live in the plaque on your pets’ teeth. When the plaque hardens, it turns into tartar. Plaque and tartar are harmful to the teeth and gums, causing the gums to become inflamed.

No matter how often or how well you brush or floss, this bacteria can still wreak havoc on otherwise healthy teeth. S. mutans can fully repopulate to its pre-brushing levels within hours. In that time, its growth is fueled by not only sugary foods, but also those high in carbohydrates. Most kids nosh not only on sugary snacks, but also on carb-rich foods, like chips, fries, pastas and crackers.

Parents always want to know if the Tooth Fairy is leaving the same thing for their kids as she is for others. There is no universal gift from the Tooth Fairy. Whatever the Tooth Fairy leaves at your home, it might just not be the amount that she left at the house down the street, or even at under the pillow of your child’s best friend.

Have you ever tried to brush your cats’ teeth? How did she like it? How did YOU like it? I’m willing to bet it wasn’t too much fun for either of you. How about your dog? Have you ever tried to brush his teeth? If so, I’m willing to bet that wasn’t much fun, either. Most dogs like to chomp at the flavored toothpaste, so your fingers are definitely in danger!

Probiotics are commonly called “friendly flora” or “beneficial bacteria.” The benefit to using probiotics is that natural, resident bacteria can help preserve the health of the environment in which they naturally thrive. Sound complicated? Think of yogurt. The beneficial bacteria – or probiotics – in yogurt are very helpful in keeping your gut in check when you take antibiotics – the drugs used to fight bacterial infections.

According to the September 2002 edition of the Journal of the American Dental Association, when diabetes is not properly controlled, high glucose levels in diabetics’ saliva feeds the sugar-loving, tooth-decay causing bacteria in the mouth. Because the high glucose levels are in the saliva and not on surfaces of teeth, the problem is much harder to control with tradition oral care methods, such as brushing and flossing.