April 13, 2007
Strenuous Exercise and Oral Health
Every time I start to work out a little harder at the gym, I have trouble with my teeth. Let me back up and say I have very poor teeth to start, a combination of bad genes and growing up semi-poor (my mother always gets furious when I say this, but the dental care in rural upstate New York was pretty bad when we were little — one of my dentists was named Dr. Ruff, but I digress). Anyway, I have several teeth that have had root canals. There are “pockets” around these teeth which are more or less chronically infected, my dentist tells me.
When the immune system is solid, I don’t have a problem because my body fights these little infections effectively and I’m in no pain. However, when I work out hard and run my immune system down, then I have trouble. My dentist will try to treat these “pockets” with an anti-bacterial gel called “Periocline” (not available in the US) once he gets his hands on some. In the meantime, I just have to throttle back on my workouts, which is unfortunate since I enjoy pushing myself a bit in the gym.
Anyone else suffer from this problem or know someone who does? I’d like to compare notes on treating the problem. Thanks.
April 13th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Sorry to hear about the condition. I don’t know anyone who does. Have you tried drinking a green tea daily, for an extended time? I hear it has immune boosting capabilities.
April 13th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
I have a some what of a similar condition. I have found that using a mouth wash twice a day regularly has gone a long way in alleviating some of the symptoms.
April 13th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Excercise on the contrary, makes the immune system stronger.
April 13th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
cm: I experienced the same problem 3 years ago. The thing that help me out of it is to learn to rest–doing weight training twice a week, THE MOST!!!
April 13th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
cm: btw, I learned the resting part from staticcontraction.com
April 13th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Hydrogen Peroxide (diluted) kills everything bad in the mouth and gums, cheap and effective. Exercise may help those with healthy immune systems, but for those of us with compromised systems (I have an autoimmune disease), too much exercise is the worst thing for it (opens a window to infection).
April 13th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Not that I know any remedy to help with your teeth situation, but if you have older brothers or sisters, it could be another cause of your weak teeth. They grabbed all the Calcium avaiable when they were in your Mom’s tummy, and left very little for you.
That’s what 2 different dentists told my younger brother, and my wife. I’m not saying this is the sole cause. But I just thought you can use another reason!
I hope you feel better soon. I enjoyed your blog and learned a lot from it! Thanks!
April 13th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
What I was trying to say above about peroxide is to gargle and swish a solution of it a couple of times a day, but don’t swallow it (barf). Who needs to have a bleached-blond stomach lining.
April 14th, 2007 at 12:02 am
I had same problem…had the root canal re-opened and re-cleaned…when that didn’t work, had gum surgery…seems fine now.
April 14th, 2007 at 12:15 am
brand name listerine is recommended by the dental profession after formal treatment & it works.
Therapy includes subgingival descaling or debridement & a specific prescription mouthwash.
Prevention includes flossing, brushing, listerine & regular preofessional cleaning; the condition is chronic but controlable.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:32 am
Similar problem and symptoms - mine is related to poor wisdom teeth surgery 25 years ago. If you haven’t done so already and to the other good dental hygiene practices already mentioned, I highly recommend replacing your manual toothbrush with a state of the art high-speed power toothbrush such as the latest models from Oral-B / Braun.
April 14th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Guys: Thanks for the tips and advice … interesting that it’s such a common problem.
April 15th, 2007 at 3:10 am
See the following site I just came across today: www.saveyourteeth.com
April 15th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Get a Waterpik / Interplak water jet. I had all kinds of problems with bleeding gums, and nothing helped (extra cleanings, prescription rinses, special toothpaste, vists to the MD to check for underlying heath issues etc.) until I got an Interplak. After you floss and brush, just put a container of warm water on the unit and run it along your gumline and squirt between your teeth. Gradually crank up the pressure. It worked for me when nothing else would.
April 15th, 2007 at 9:13 am
Bern: Thanks for the link to Ray Behm’s site — he seems to be a straight-shooter with the right ideas.
BG Murphy: Dr. Behm (above) is also pro-HydroFloss (like the Waterpik). Thanks for the tip and for sharing your experience.
April 20th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Dr.Kroger is correct. I had root descaling 25 years ago. Still have to get at least 3 cleaning a year and rinse, floss and brush constantly to prevent pocket depth increase. See a periodontist and stay ontop of it or you will loose your teeth early.
April 20th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
C Shafer: Thanks, I will keep on top of it for sure.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:04 pm
[…] Given my recent tooth trouble and the excellent comments to this post, I decided to get a toothbrush/waterpik combo. The only one available locally was the “Oral-B Oxyjet Center,” which I bought for around RMB1500 (US$195). Seems expensive until you realize that it’s less than half of one payment my dentist makes on his Mercedes. (Typically you’ll pay 50-100% premium over US retail for certain things in China — in this case I paid about a 70% premium.) […]
June 13th, 2007 at 2:31 am
Your dentist in the U.S. doesn’t have to wait for Periocline. There is a very similar, and very effective product called ARESTIN minocycline microspheres which is available now in the U.S. (by prescription only…your dentist can prescribe it).
Your dentist simply puts the ARESTIN into the “pockets” around your teeth and the ARESTIN will kill the bacteria for up to 21 days and it can help heal the pockets and also get rid of your chronic periodontal infection. Ask him/her about it.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Joe: Thanks for the tip about Arestin… I’ll look into its availability here for sure.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:25 am
This might be a bit late but I use hydrogen peroxide 35% food grade to rinse my mouth with. I dilute 1 teaspoon of H2O2 in half a glass of water (approx. 1 cup) and keep it in my mouth for about 1 - 2 minutes twice a day. This combats plaque, bacteria, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, cavities and what have you in no time at all. One should not swallow at this strength. For colds and flues, dilute 3 drops in 2 cups of bottled water 3 times a day and on the 3rd day you will have no flu. This should be drunk on an empty stomach as the H2O2 will react with the food in the stomach. 2 - 3 hours before eating or after. No need for expensive or potentially harmful drugs. Care should be taken with the use of H2O2 always. It is very corrosive. Food grade is the only one to use as it has no additives or stabilisers which can be poisonous. I also use this for weight training agains lactic acid build up.
February 20th, 2008 at 5:57 am
I had a 6.5mm pocket they were sending me to a surgeon to look at fixing.
Instead I used oregano oil and put in my waterpik and shot it up in there for a few months. Gone! Coenzyme Q10 supposedly helps gum disease as well.
February 20th, 2008 at 7:35 am
@Ronald: It’s never too late to share your knowledge and I appreciate your advice.
@Donk: I love my Water-pik and have had no major tooth problems since I got one, but I’d be very hesitant to gum it up with oregano oil (assuming it’s gummy).
February 20th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Just a few drops. Oregano oil is near 100% effective against bacteria and fungus. It also wont turn your tongue brown like some of the peroxides do with prolonged use.
Doesn’t hurt to take 2 or 3 drops and swallow it twice a day to clean out any bacterial or fungal overgrowth in your digestive system. Make sure to repopulate with good probiotics and you’ll be snappy in no time.