The Importance Of Good Nutrition In Keeping Your Smile Beautiful And Your Mouth Healthy

A beautiful smile and healthy mouth actually can come from in addition to regular brushing and flossing a daily diet that does not lack the essential vitamins and minerals that make vital contributions to a person’s oral health. Many people overlook the importance of good nutrition in keeping their smile beautiful and...

their mouth healthy.

The mineral calcium and Vitamin D are of particular importance to obtaining healthy teeth. These two substances work together as calcium absorption is enhanced by Vitamin D. Sufficient calcium is essential to the very structure of the teeth as are phosphorus and magnesium.

Vitamin A is an essential part of the production of the tooth enamel. A deficiency in Vitamin A can cause overgrown gums, bleeding gums and gum disease. Vitamin C because of its role in the health and function of the small capillaries that bring oxygen and nutrients throughout the body is also important to oral health. Vitamin C deficiencies can result in bleeding gums and loose teeth as well as mouth sores The Vitamin B complex is also essential to a healthy mouth as deficiencies can cause cracking and bleeding of the lips as well as open sores and lesions on both the inside and outside of the mouth. These open sores aside from the discomfort that they cause offer an opportunity for a wide variety of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants to enter the blood stream.

Fluoride is widely known as an important agent in the prevention of tooth decay and is the active ingredient in the vast majority of toothpastes in the market today. In addition to acting to prevent tooth decay it also strengthens tooth enamel, working in partnership with calcium and phosphorus. Copper, zinc, iodine, iron and potassium are other minerals that are essential to good oral health.

It is unfortunate but true that most people do not eat well enough to obtain all of the vitamins, minerals and other necessary nutrients through their daily diets alone. Failing to meet the recommended daily intake levels of vitamins and minerals can result in significant health problems. Therefore, if you find that you are consistently not achieving these intake levels in your day-to-day diet you may want to consider using dietary supplements to meet your nutritional needs. Dietary supplements are safe when used properly. However, they should not be used as a substitute for healthy food as they are meant to complement the diet and only work best when they have real food to attach themselves to. If you find yourself unsure of which daily supplements you should include in your day-to-day nutritional plan a consultation with your healthcare professional or a licensed nutritionist can help you to make the selections best suited to your individual dietary needs and health goals.

While a beautiful smile and healthy mouth are certainly aesthetically pleasing and uplifting to one’s self-confidence, attention to oral health serves a practical purpose as well. Strong teeth mean that a wide variety of foods can be eaten while a healthy mouth means that there are no open sores in the mouth that can serve as an open invitation for bacteria, viruses and other contaminants to enter the bloodstream to cause illness, infection and disease. Making sure that your daily intake of the vitamins and minerals associated with oral health is sufficient in addition to daily dental care will ensure that you can have a lovely smile.
by: Charlene J. Nuble
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Effectiveness of male latex condoms in protecting against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections

Condoms are the only contraceptive method proven to reduce the risk of all sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. They can be used as a dual-purpose method, both for prevention of pregnancy and protection against STIs.
Prevention of pregnancy

Estimated pregnancy rates during...

perfect use of condoms, that is for those who report using the method exactly as it should be used (correctly) and at every act of intercourse (consistently), is 3 percent at 12 months.

The most frequently cited condom effectiveness rate is for typical use, which includes perfect and imperfect use (i.e. not used at every act of intercourse, or used incorrectly). The pregnancy rate during typical use can be much higher (10-14%) than for perfect use, but this is due primarily to inconsistent and incorrect use, not to condom failure. Condom failure – the device breaking or slipping off completely during intercourse – is uncommon.
Disease prevention

Laboratory studies have found that viruses (including HIV) do not pass through intact latex condoms even when devices are stretched or stressed.

In Thailand, the promotion by the government of 100% condom use by commercial sex workers led to a dramatic increase in the use of condoms (from 14% in 1990 to 94% in 1994); an equally dramatic decline in the nation-wide numbers of bacterial STD cases (from 410,406 cases in 1997 to 27,362 cases in 1994); and reduced HIV prevalence in Thai soldiers.

The most convincing data on the effectiveness of condoms in preventing HIV infection has been generated by prospective studies undertaken on serodiscordant couples, when one partner is infected with HIV and the other is not. These studies show that, with consistent condom use, the HIV infection rate among uninfected partners was less than 1 percent per year. Also, in situations where one partner is definitely infected, inconsistent condom use can be as risky as not using condoms at all.
Allergy to latex condoms

Latex allergies are very rare among the general population. While 1-2 billion condoms are used per year in the USA, the FDA only received 44 reports of allergic reactions associated with condom use between October 1988 and end of 1991. The Centres for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA estimate that the population risk of an allergic reaction to latex is 0.08% and the nature of the reaction tends to be very mild. Concerns about latex allergies should not inhibit sexually active people who are at risk of exposure to pregnancy and STIs using condoms, since the risks associated with unprotected sexual contact are far greater than those from exposure to latex.

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