Dr. Nammy Patel, founder of Green Dentistry in San Francisco, California, discusses how to keep your teeth healthy longer. She is the author of the bestselling book, Age with Style, Guide to a Youthful Smile and Healthy Living.
[Insert Audio Player]John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher and I’m here today with Dr. Nammy Patel, founder of Green Dentistry in San Francisco, California. Helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole body health, and author of the bestselling book, Age with Style, Guide to a Youthful Smile and Healthy Living. Today our topic is how to keep your teeth healthy longer. Welcome Dr. Nammy.
Dr. Nammy Patel: Hi John, how are you?
Benefits of Keeping Teeth Healthy
John: Good, thanks. So it seems obvious that we want to stay healthy and keep our teeth in good shape, but are there some specific reasons why we really want to keep our teeth as healthy for as long as we can?
Dr. Nammy: Absolutely. So science has proven that people who keep their teeth live an extra 10 years.
John: Wow.
Dr. Nammy: Yeah, it’s a huge statistic, right? And especially now because you know, 10, 15, 20 years ago, life expectancy was, 60, 70. Now we’re at 87 which is probably going to increase as we push the envelope of knowledge with bio-hacking, learning like what we can do in order to live longer in general. And as we’re getting to know more about our genetics, our health, and what we can do and take total charge of it. And of course you’ll keep your teeth.
How to Keep Teeth Healthy
John: Right. So what are some ways that people can help to keep their teeth healthy longer?
Dr. Nammy: So basic things that you can do to keep your teeth healthy longer is going to be, obviously, go to the dentist. Number two is avoid dental work. The best way to do that is by great home care using an electric toothbrush, using a Waterpik, oil pulling. The other things that are really important are going to be making sure that the underlying medical conditions are looked after. Because when your underlying medical conditions, and the most one I’m concerned about nowadays is really sleep apnea, it is one of the biggest reasons why we find broken teeth. It is one of the biggest reasons why we find gum recession. It is one of the reasons we find a lot of gum disease around the teeth. It’s because people are actually not breathing well. And that is a fundamental concern, because you can only stay alive eight minutes without oxygen. And imagine our bodies not breathing several times a night, which causes huge concerns with the mouth because that’s your airway.
Dental Procedures for Healthy Teeth
John: And what are some procedures that I could have done at the dentist, other than those things that you said that I should be doing at home on a regular basis, that can help my teeth to last longer?
Dr. Nammy: Yeah, absolutely. So my favorite is doing laser gum cleanings. They’re the best way to keep their teeth healthy longer. What they do is they go inside and remove all the bacteria. They actually sterilize the teeth and make sure only the good bacteria survive. So that’s my favorite. The second is these trays called Perio Protect. So these trays you can wear 15 minutes a day again to make sure that all the bacteria removed, it has peroxide in it, and has oxygen. So oxygen, bad bacteria can’t live with oxygen, so it kills off all the bad bacteria, letting the good bacteria live. Also making sure that the toothpaste that you’re utilizing has calcium in it. And making sure you’re taking your calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, because those are really important in tooth health.
The other thing is making sure you’re checking if you’re snoring, making sure you’re breathing right, and also making sure that the airway is [inaudible], making sure you’re breathing properly and breathing through the nose, which activates nitric oxide, which also activates your growth hormones and activate your immune system to work at its optimal best.
John: So the trays that you mentioned, is that just like a kind of a mouth guard that I might use if I played sports or something like that, and I’m putting that in my mouth?
Dr. Nammy: No, Perio Protect trays are very different. And what they do, they’re custom, they’re measured to the gums, and what they do is they’re specifically designed to let that peroxide sit in the mouth and deliver that oxygen for 15 minutes. So it’s almost like a laser cut glove that goes on your teeth, and it’s very different than a mouth guard that you can use for sports. And because this goes beyond the teeth, it goes into the gums.
John: Right. So definitely something that I need to go and see a dentist like yourself in order to get that molded to my mouth and do that procedure.
Dr. Nammy: Yes, absolutely.
John: Okay. All right. So that’s really great information, Dr. Nammy. It’s very important for us to keep our teeth healthy as long as we can so we can all live longer. Thanks again for speaking with me today.
Dr. Nammy: My pleasure.
John: And for more information about Green Dentistry, visit the website at sfgreendentist.com or call (415) 578-9347.
