Dental Implants Seattle

By Nicky Pilkington

 Have you ever examined the ingredients listed on the labels of your cosmetics or other skin care products? Do you know what those ingredients are?

What you may not realize is that many of the skin care products and cosmetics you are buying contain ingredients that are not only harmful to your skin, but also to your long term health. Many of these ingredients are known carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) and are used by the cosmetic industry simply because they are cheap!

Harmful Ingredients Commonly Found in Skin Care Products and Cosmetics

The following are just some of the synthetic chemicals that have been identified by scientific studies to be harmful to our health.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS)

Often described as being “derived from coconut” to disguise their toxic nature, these chemicals are commonly used in shampoos, toothpaste, foaming facial and body cleansers and bubble bath. SLS and ALS can cause severe skin irritation, and are easily absorbed into the body, building up in the brain, heart, lungs and liver, leading to potential long term health problems. SLS and ALS may also cause cataracts, and prevent children’s eyes from developing properly.

Paraben Preservatives

Parabens are widely used in cosmetics, deodorants, skin care and baby products to prolong their shelf life. They are known to be highly toxic and have caused rashes and allergic reactions. Recent scientific studies in the UK found a strong link between the use of parabens and the increasing rate of breast cancer in women. Researchers found a high concentration of parabens in 90% of breast tumors tested.

Propylene Glycol

Found in many beauty creams, cosmetics and cleansers, Propylene Glycol can cause skin rashes and contact dermatitis, and has been shown to cause damage to the kidneys and liver.

Isopropyl Alcohol

Alcohol is used as a solvent in many skin care products. It causes skin irritation and strips the skin of its natural acid mantle, promoting the growth of bacteria, moulds and viruses. It may also cause premature ageing of skin.

DEA (Diethanolamine), TEA (Triethanolamine) and MEA (Monoethanolamine)

These substances are harsh solvents and detergents that are used in cosmetics and face and body creams as an emollient. They can cause allergic reactions, and long term use of DEA-based products (such as Cocamide DEA) have been linked to an increase in the incidence of liver and kidney cancer.

Aluminum

A common ingredient in antiperspirants, aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Mineral Oil

Derived from petroleum (crude oil), mineral oil is commonly found as a main ingredient of face and body creams and cosmetics. Baby oil is 100% mineral oil! It coats the skin like a plastic film, clogging pores and stopping the skin from eliminating toxins, which can lead to acne and other skin disorders. Other petroleum based ingredients include paraffin wax, paraffin oil and petrolatum.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)

Used as a thickener in skin care products and cosmetics, PEGs interfere with the skin’s natural moisture balance, causing an increase in ageing and leaving the skin vulnerable to bacteria.

Talc

Talc is a soft mineral used in talcum powders and cosmetic powders. Scientific studies have shown that routine application of talcum powder to the genital area is linked with a three-to-fourfold increase in the development of ovarian cancer. Inhaling cosmetic powders containing talc may also be harmful to long term health.

How To Avoid These Toxins

Examine the labels of your cosmetics and skin care products carefully, and learn to recognize ingredients that are harmful to your skin and to your health. Many web sites have lists of potentially harmful ingredients in addition to those shown above (e.g. Environmental Working Group).

Don’t be fooled by the words ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ on the front of the label. Many products contain at least one or two natural or organic ingredients, but they may also contain harmful synthetic chemicals as well.

Whenever possible, choose products with 100% natural ingredients such as essential oils and herbs. Your skin will love you for it!

Find out more about General Health at healthandfinesse.com

Your Network Of Dental Implant Specialists In Seattle

Bad Breath? 4 Easy Steps To Solve Your Problem!
By Martin Haworth

 It’s important to recognise the impact that bad breath can have on your life. It can be one of the most embarrassing personal hygiene problems to afflict us, especially when it’s pointed out by someone else. And, for most of us, bad breath is likely to be the result of poor dental hygiene.

Here are four simple actions, you can easily take, to make the difference.

1. Brush Your Teeth Regularly and Well

The first tip to relieve bad breath is a bit of a no-brainer. Regular teeth brushing makes a big difference. It’s vital to brush your teeth at least twice daily to avoid the accumulation of food debris. And plaque, even more of a problem, is avoided as well, which is much more difficult to notice much of the time.

By regularly brushing the teeth, any nasty plaque gets dislodged and fails to build up. But if you only brush once a day, or miss occasionally, you will find that it builds up and is a lot more difficult to shift.

This is a really important message for those who suffer from bad breath. Your teeth may look and even feel clean, but unless you brush your teeth regularly, it’s the plaque build up that will leave your breath unpleasant.

When brushing your teeth, don’t forget your tongue. According to many studies, your tongue harbors bacteria that may cause bad breath.

2. Floss It!

You can do more than brush your teeth! Sometimes it’s difficult to dislodge every bit of food that gets stuck, so getting it out is important, if you want to see the back of bad breath completely.

There are all sorts of weird gizmos and tools out there to do the flossing, yet it need not be that complicated. As a preference, you might find a straightforward non-shredding floss, on a long, long (25 meter - a lot of floss) roll which will last you for ages.

Remember to floss before you brush, so that the newly dislodged bits between your teeth will be finished off by the brushing.

3. Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Dental hygiene, to improve your bad breath, can be maintained easily by ensuring that you see your dentist regularly. It’s usual to have checkups every 6 months or so and dentists being as they are, will often call you or write to remind you. It’s their living, after all!

There’s a whole lot of hot air about the value of seeing a dentist. Suffice to say it’s always good value, because prevention is a lot cheaper than paying for real emergencies.

Bottom line is that many of the issues that cause bad breath will build up and cause significant problems before long. That will put the cost up too, if you don’t make that visit every half year or so and pay the bill. It’s an investment worth making!

Remember, in most countries there are defined dental insurance programs available so that you can spread the cost, or at least keep a lid on it, so that might well be an investment that is worthwhile.

4. Chew Gum

It might have been a gimmick by marketing people to start with, but there have now been a number of studies to show the value of chewing gum in maintaining your dental health during the day.

Apart from the minty freshness that will help to mask bad breath, that’s not the point.

In fact, the capability for chewing gum to keep your mouth clean by stimulating saliva flow, as a natural oral cleanser, as well as dislodging stuck bits of food is now well proven.

So, there you go. there are four easy dental health tips to ensure that any bad breath you might have had in the past is banished forever.

It wasn’t that painful now, was it?

(c) 2007 Best Dental HealthGuide. If you want to find the best information and product ideas to keep your teeth healthy and bright. You can, right here, on Martin Haworth’s fascinating website at http://www.BestDentalHealthGuide.com

Myths About Oral Health
By Kevin Pederson

 Oral health plays a vital role in the health and well-being of all people and, subsequently, the quality of life. Till recently it was felt that aging had to do with debilitating changes in oral functioning like loss of teeth, less salivary flow, mucosal atrophy and loss of taste. Recent research, however, withdraws many such misconceptions. Oral health myths and their debunking include:

Myth 1: Cavities are for children.

Reality: Wrong. If you have one or more of your natural teeth, you can still develop cavities. Cavities are more common as you grow older as your gums tend to pull away from the base of the teeth, leaving the roots exposed.

Myth 2: Those who have false teeth do not have to see a dentist anymore.

Reality: Wrong again, even if you have one or more false teeth or dentures, you must still clean them and visit your dentist on a regular basis.

Myth 3: Teeth are only for appearances sakes.

Reality: Wrong once more. Definitive studies have revealed the link between poor oral health and diseases like diabetes in people of all ages. In seniors, poor oral health is connected to respiratory diseases. Research has also revealed a possible link between oral health and heart disease.

Myth 4: Overall health does not depend on our oral health.

Reality: Not altogether true. If your gums are unhygienic, dental bacterial byproducts could get into your blood stream and this might result in heart diseases, strokes or under-weight child birth.

Myth 5: When brushing, bleeding is normal.

Reality: Not so. bleeding gums are just a sign of gum disease.

Myth 6: Brushing is done to remove food particles.

Reality: This is only partly right. By brushing and flossing daily it helps keep formation of plaque to the minimum, thus preventing oral diseases.

Myth 7: Bad breath is the result of lack of oral hygiene.

Reality: This again is only partly correct. There are some bacteria on the tongue and throat that produce volatile sulfur compounds. Excessive sulfur compounds result in the bad breath.

Myth 8: Pregnant women do not require dental checkups.

Reality: Unfortunately, no. Dental health has an impact on the health of baby to be born. Dental diseased during pregnancy could raise the chances of having a premature, under-weight baby.

Myth 9: Tooth loss is inevitable the older you grow.

Reality: Sadly it is not so. Around 15 years ago, over 50% Americans above 65 were totally toothless. By the year 1985, the figure had fallen to around 41% overall, ranging from 32% in ages 65-69 and 49% in the over 80 age group.

Herbal Natural Therapies for Oral Hygiene

A number of herbs have antibacterial properties that aid in oral hygiene routine. They also make the breath smell a little sweeter. For instance, as therapies for oral hygiene, essential oils of peppermint, spearmint, and almond can all be rubbed around the base of the gums.

As a therapy for oral hygiene tea tree oil has a lot more bacterial-fighting agents than the above mentioned essential oils. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your toothbrush during brushing and it will leave your gums feeling clean and invigorated.

For centuries, another of the best natural therapies for oral hygiene is green tea. For long have the Chinese used green tea as an oral rinse for regular mouth care, since it contains powerful antioxidants that besides other things help boost the immune system.

Home Remedies for toothaches

The good old clove is one of the best known home remedies for toothache relief. Clove helps abate the pain with its antiseptic properties. In fact, clove oil, applied on the painful tooth, helps ease toothaches pain fairly quickly. Alternatively, try grinding a clove and applying the powder on the affected area.

Wheat grass juice is widely available nowadays as a fantastic home remedy to help prevent toothaches. Sometimes it can even cure. You may chew on wheat grass for pain relief; it will prevent bacteria from procreating and even draw bacteria out of the painful area.

A piece of raw onion chewed for 3 minutes helps ease toothache pain, or kill oral bacteria. This not only helps relieve the pain, it also helps cure toothaches. If you cannot chew, a small piece of raw onion applied directly to the infected spot will ease the pain almost immediately.

A lukewarm saltwater mouthwash also mildly disinfects the mouth and helps rinse the teeth and gums, thus providing gentle toothache pain relief. This is, perhaps, the easiest toothache home pain remedy, as everyone has some salt in their kitchens.

Finally, for successful toothache relief, a clove of garlic possibly mashed up with some salt and placed on the tooth helps relieve the pain. It even acts as an anesthetic, sometimes even curing mild toothaches. This home remedy could be one of the more successful ones of regularly applied.

Kevin Pederson, a regular writer for Natural Remedies and Home Cures recommends effective, low cost natural cures to recover from common health problems easily. The writer uncovers several misconceptions on oral health, and offers useful tips on dental health.

seattle cosmetic dentistry

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.