The key to a great smile

The manufacturers of toothpaste and whitening agents would love you to believe that their products are the key to a healthy mouth and a great smile.

While those products can certainly help, the health of your mouth and teeth goes WAY beyond Crest and Colgate.

Here’s the complete scoop on your mouth and what it may be trying to tell you.

Open wide!

In addition to merely having a nice smile, healthy teeth and gums are crucial to the proper functioning of your digestive tract.
Digestion actually begins in your mouth--enzymes in your saliva start carbohydrate digestion.
Chewing sends signals to your brain, which in turn tells your stomach that food is on the way down so it can prepare to start its secretions.
And how well you chew your food makes a big difference in whether or not you will experience heartburn, gas and bloating.

Something wrong in there?
There are many common mouth-related problems that people experience, and I’ll start with the most feared of all…
BAD BREATH (aka halitosis).
Although halitosis can be caused by poor dental hygiene, tooth infection, sinus problems, gum problems or throat infection, a primary culprit behind bad breath lies in an area about 24 inches south of your mouth.
Your gut.
That’s right—bad breath can be a sign of any of the following:

• H. pylori infection in the stomach
• Low stomach acid production
• Imbalanced intestinal flora
• Pancreatic insufficiency
• Even constipation! (I’ll let you form your own visual on that)

Other common mouth problems
Other mouth challenges include gingivitis (gum inflammation) and periodontal disease (inflammation of the bones around your teeth)—both of which can be caused by poor oral hygiene and lacking nutrients.
Weak, unhealthy teeth can also stem from nutrient deficiencies.  Your teeth are bones just like the rest of your skeleton—and your bones need 19 specific nutrients to remain healthy and strong.
Canker sores and cold sores can be the result of imbalanced intestinal flora, as well as food sensitivities, stress and nutrient deficiencies. 

Smart steps to a healthy smile & mouth
If you want a healthy smile and mouth, you need to look inside and out for what may be causing whatever challenges you may have, and then do whatever you can to turn that around!

Here are some smart steps to consider:

1-Brush and floss daily
Most people brush every day, but find flossing a nuisance or “don’t have the time.”
Get over that already.  Flossing is essential to tooth and gum health and it takes less than two minutes. 

2-See your dentist once a year
Not only is the thorough cleaning you get at the dentist’s office great for your teeth and gums, but your dentist can also detect potential issues long before they become major problems.

3-Cover your nutritional bases
Concentrate on wholesome real foods and minimize fast food, processed foods, starchy carbs and sweets (especially soda!).
Plus supplementing with a high quality multi-vitamin and mineral formula like Super Core can help make sure your essential nutrient bases are covered.  Multi-vitamin and mineral formulas like Super Core are becoming increasingly important because our food is not as nutritious as it once was, plus so many of us take medications and/or are under stress—both of which reduce nutrient absorption.

4-Get tested
Food sensitivities, H. pylori infection, low stomach acid and pancreatic insufficiency can cause bad breath and other mouth problems.
If you suspect any of these may be an issue for you, see your doctor and get the appropriate tests.
And if you are challenged with low stomach acid or pancreatic enzyme production, an enzyme formula like Digestizol Max can pinch hit where your body may be lacking and help keep digestion efficient.

5-Help balance your intestinal flora
Imbalanced intestinal flora is a common culprit behind mouth problems…and a good number of gut problems too!
Plus the friendly flora in your gut helps your body digest starches and fiber and keeps your gut wall healthy--both of which are essential for proper nutrient absorption.
In addition to eating nourishing foods the best way to support a proper flora balance is through supplementation with a top-notch multi-strain formula like Super Shield.  
Super Shield can give you a daily supportive dose of the same type of friendly, helpful bacteria that reside in your intestinal tract and are so crucial to your health! 

6-Consider replacing amalgam fillings
Contrary to what people believe, “silver” amalgam fillings are only silver in color—and they happen to contain 50 percent mercury.
Mercury is a deadly neurotoxin which not only can threaten the health of your brain but also make you more susceptible to periodontal disease. 

Say cheese!
Now you are armed with the information you need to help create a truly healthy smile (and improved overall health too!).