New ADA Oral Longevity Brochure and DVD Available

The American Dental Association (ADA) started their OralLongevity initiative last September. The initiative is "designed to increase awareness about the need to enhance and preserve the oral health of older Americans."

For many older Americans, dental health becomes neglected as seniors lose their ability to drive or walk without help. Many end up in nursing homes or as shut-ins. However, dental care is just as imporant when you're 88 as it is when you're 38.

To address these issues, the ADA recently made available a brochure and DVD geared for dental professionals, seniors, and their care givers. According to the ADA Website, "the OralLongevity brochure and DVD includes searchable chapters on a variety of oral health topics, such as aging dentition, daily mouth care, nutrition, dry mouth and more."

Download the brochure and the DVD.

Sugarless Gum Prevents Cavities is Old News

The fact that the ADA recently awarded Wrigley sugarless gum its seal of approval really isn't news.

Dentists have known about the cavity preventing properties of sugarless chewing gum for years -- simply because chewing sugarless gum helps return the mouth to a neutral PH after eating.

In fact, if you're a certain age, you grew up listening to TV commercials for Trident sugarless gum – their tagline was, '4 out of 5 dentists recommend Trident sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum.'

Chewing gum after a meal is really a quick fix and shouldn't replace brushing and flossing twice a day and seeing a dentist regularly. In addition, for people
who have a high rate of decay, chewing sugarless gum will not help lower the rate at which cavities develop.

Why not? Well, because there's a whole science behind how cavities develop. The ADA really does consumers a disservice by dumbing it down to chewing gum.

In addition, people who chew gum excessively can develop a host of other problems including grinding down the teeth and jaw problems.