Bacteria involved in gum disease linked to increased risk of head, neck cancer | Hacker News Reader

Bacteria involved in gum disease linked to increased risk of head, neck cancer

medicalxpress.com

72 pointswglb10 comments

It seems that some people have a way higher propensity to cavities than others. Is this because they have some bacterial overgrowth? Maybe the wrong bacteria? Has there been any research into this and how to bring your mouth bacteria back to normal levels?

I'd love to not have my dentist tell me my gums are receding despite flossing and brushing the recommended amount and not usually eating sweets or carbs.

Try this: get the travel version of a water pick / flosser. They’re like $30 and you refill them from a tap. Now put it in your shower and make it part of your shower routine.

No mess. Easy to fill. No discomfort. Almost impossible not to use at that point.

I find it's good to blow the food out of your teeth, but I'm not sure it's as good as flossing. Not that I know much about flossing. I'm lazy and only do it if there is food stuck in my teeth.

Look up the relation between staphylococcus and dental problems, but also cardiac, vascular, and cranial issues

i’m predisposed to getting cavities. All my problems went away when i started flossing thoroughly before bed. I do it EVERY night of the year, regardless of when i go to sleep.

The results speak for themselves. I went to the dentist for the first time at 18 (sad i know). At 20 yrs of age i had 5 cavities, and also had 1 wisdom tooth removed due to decay. That’s when i started flossing daily. I haven’t had a cavity since, and im in my 30s now. My diet has not drastically changed either.

Floss your teeth people. Properly! The dental hygienist can teach you how.

My wife flosses after every meal, sometimes even more. She is prone to getting cavities and has had multiple root canals and an implant as of her mid thirties. She just received news that she needs another root canal. Nearly every visit to the dentist results in one or more new cavities found.

I rarely floss because I’m too lazy. Other than one root canal that was the result of me procrastinating on getting an adjacent wisdom tooth extracted, my teeth are pretty much healthy aside from an occasional tiny cavity a decade or so.

Seems there isn’t any pattern.

it’s possible her genes are just extra bad? i’m sorry to hear, that sounds awful.

My wife is so lucky, she has the best genes lol. She has never flossed and even forgets to brush sometimes (yuck i know). She’s also in her 30’s and has not had a single cavity! Or any major dental work done. Just braces as a kid. To say i’m jealous is an understatement…

I've never had a filling, but I've certainly been told I have "pockets" developing

The biggest improvement for me was getting a decent Oral B electric toothbrush and using piksters as "often as I could"

The electric toothbrush does a good job of fixing brushing problems along the gum line

Bad dental health kills, cancer, heart disease etc. everyone knows this.

Not much more to say other than look after you teeth.

> but not to establish a direct cause-and-effect link

This is quite important, certain bacteria can cause more severe tooth decay and there will be ways to manage these (Electric toothbrush with a app to teach you how to brush).

It seems highly likely to me it'll be as expected the damage to teeth causes the HNSCC.

Either way it's good research as long as they don't mislead without proper evidence.

I hate this tho… its easy to quantify bad dental health. But way hard to say what good is.

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