Here's a new one I have not heard of: Health Canada has issued an advisory warning on counterfeit toothbrushes. What will people counterfeit next? The fake toothbrushes have been spotted as Colgate Massager, Colgate Navigator, Oral B Classic 40, Oral B Contura and Colgate 360.
Reports have been filed with Health Canada of toothbrush bristles dislodging and catching a consumer's throat.
Authentic Oral B toothbrushes, made by Proctor and Gamble Inc. have the Oral B logo manufactured as part of the hand mould. Fake Oral B brushes have been known to have the logo printed in silver text on a peel-away label.
Colgate toothbrushes can be identified by the packaging, labelled in English and French only, that states "Distr. by/par: Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc," and by a lot code moulded into the brush handle just under the brush head.
Problems can be reported to the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate 1-800-267-9675. Consumers requiring more information can contact Health Canada's public inquiries line at (613) 957-2991 or toll-free at 1-866-225-0709.
Yours in health,
Ian Koo, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic Essentials Health Centre
"The care you want, the health you need"
Showing posts with label dental care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dental care. Show all posts
US FDA: Mercury teeth fillings pose health risk. Comments from a naturopathic doctor & advice.
It appears that the US Food and Drug Adminstration are warning pregnant women, nursing women, immunocompromised individuals & children against getting mercury fillings. If you've ever had cavities and if you have a silver-coloured metal filling, then 50% of that is composed of mercury - which has been shown to have toxic effects on the nervous system. It's especially harmful to pregnant women and their fetuses as well as developing children.
This has been an issue for some time and it's surprising that it's taken so long for a health & safety governing body to issue such a warning. Why not get rid of them altogether? The truth is, mercury is bad for everyone even healthy adults. Why expose ourselves needlessly when there are safer alternatives available?
Most dentists these days are not using mercury fillings and instead choose to use resin composites or porcelain. Other options include glass cement and even gold. I was once told by a dentist that mercury fillings are used because they're easier use and implement than the other options. If that's really the case & if your dentist is still using mercury fillings, then you need to find another dentist!
What should you do if you currently have mercury fillings?
A seminar I attended broached that topic and the dentist advised that those who've had mercury fillings for a number of years - something like 8 years or so, should not concern themselves with trying to get the fillings removed. That's because most of the mercury that can leach out has probably already done so. Removing them will expose you to even more mercury vapours.
Those who've recently gotten mercury fillings should consider getting them removed, but you'll need to find a dentist with the proper equipment to remove this toxic substance. These dentists actually have vacuum hoods to suck up any toxic mercury vapours that come out of your mouth.
Should you be worried?
Mercury has been linked to brain and kidney damage at certain levels. Some groups contend that it can trigger multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, but that's disputed by health officials. Regardless of the science, this naturopathic doctor says let's use some common sense and stay away from this toxic heavy metal.
If you fear that you've had frequent exposure to heavy metals - ie. mercury , lead, etc., there are tests that you can do to determine that. In general though, most people don't need to worry - the levels most people are exposed to are not serious enough to cause adverse health effects.
You can read more about this from this CBC article.
This has been an issue for some time and it's surprising that it's taken so long for a health & safety governing body to issue such a warning. Why not get rid of them altogether? The truth is, mercury is bad for everyone even healthy adults. Why expose ourselves needlessly when there are safer alternatives available?
Most dentists these days are not using mercury fillings and instead choose to use resin composites or porcelain. Other options include glass cement and even gold. I was once told by a dentist that mercury fillings are used because they're easier use and implement than the other options. If that's really the case & if your dentist is still using mercury fillings, then you need to find another dentist!
What should you do if you currently have mercury fillings?
A seminar I attended broached that topic and the dentist advised that those who've had mercury fillings for a number of years - something like 8 years or so, should not concern themselves with trying to get the fillings removed. That's because most of the mercury that can leach out has probably already done so. Removing them will expose you to even more mercury vapours.
Those who've recently gotten mercury fillings should consider getting them removed, but you'll need to find a dentist with the proper equipment to remove this toxic substance. These dentists actually have vacuum hoods to suck up any toxic mercury vapours that come out of your mouth.
Should you be worried?
Mercury has been linked to brain and kidney damage at certain levels. Some groups contend that it can trigger multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, but that's disputed by health officials. Regardless of the science, this naturopathic doctor says let's use some common sense and stay away from this toxic heavy metal.
If you fear that you've had frequent exposure to heavy metals - ie. mercury , lead, etc., there are tests that you can do to determine that. In general though, most people don't need to worry - the levels most people are exposed to are not serious enough to cause adverse health effects.
You can read more about this from this CBC article.
Smoothies, juice bad for your teeth?
Acidic drinks can wear down the enamel on your teeth. When people think of liquids that are bad for their teeth, they often think of soda pop. Yes, pop has lots of sugar and its acidity can cause real damage. Some people even use certain pop brands to remove rust!
What people also need to be careful of is the good stuff - the homemade fruit smoothies or juices. That's because they are also tend to be acidic drinks. Vitamin C, which is found in abundance in many fruits is part of what contributes to the acidic nature of these drinks. Now I'm not saying to stop drinking your healthy smoothies. In fact, I'm a big supporter of using smoothies as a way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Aim for at least 8 servings of fruits and veggies a day!
A problem only arises when a person takes a long time to ingest their smoothie drink. Some people like to sip their morning smoothie or juice and can take 30 minutes or more to finish their drink. This prolonged exposure increases ones' risk of developing acidic wear on the teeth.
I find that people take long to drink their homemade smoothie because of the temperature of the drink. Cold drinks are tough to ingest quickly. Try using room temperature fruits or mixing warm water or milk to your frozen berries.
The Canadian Dental Association offers tips to avoid tooth decay and gum disease:
- choose sugar-free snacks.....though this ND is leery of this advice because products that are sugar free are substituted w/ aspartame or some other artificial sweetener.
- avoid sugar-sweetened soft drinks
- look for fruit juices and drinks that don't contain added sugar
- look for other names for sugar on ingredient labels, such as molasses, liquid invert sugar, glucose and fructose
- avoid eating sticky sweets that cling to teeth (ie. Toffee,caramel, etc.)
- eat sweets as part of a meal so the increased saliva flow can clean teeth and dilute sugar
- brush your teeth after eating sweets and after each meal, or at least rinse your mouth with water, eat raw vegetables or chew sugarless gum.........just a note about brushing your teeth right after ingesting acidic products: I've had some dental professionals tell me that it's not such a good thing to do because this will help to further erode the enamel. So there's differing opinions on this. In any case, after eating sweets or drinking sugary drinks, it's always advisable that you rinse your mouth with water.
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