Dentistry is one of the oldest medical professions with evidence of dental work done with tools as early as 7000 BC.
I can't imagine having a tooth drilled with a bow drill , but that was the technology of the day.... OUCH! In this article we are going to take a look at how far dentistry has come over the years, how your mouth health can affect your overall health and the many ways CBD can help you not only to calm your nerves at the dentist, but also possibly reduce the amount of visits you need to make to the dentist other than your check-up/cleaning visits.

The history of dentistry

• 7000 BC: Evidence suggests that primitive dentistry was performed using a hand/bow drill
• 5000 BC: The ancient Sumerians write about tooth decay caused by tooth worms, a theory that was adopted by many other cultures spanning centuries. Treatments included magic spells, potions, and attempts to lure the worms out with various applications.
• 2600 BC: Hesy-Re, an Egyptian scribe, known to be first dental practitioner. He was celebrated as "great one of the ivory cutters"
• 500 - 300 BC: Aristotle (known as the godfather of evidence based medicine) and Hippocrates each wrote about dental health. Writings included topics such as tooth eruption, decay, gum disease, even methods on how to wire and stabilize loose teeth and fractured jaws.
• 200 AD: The Etruscans used gold crowns and gold banded bridges to replace missing teeth.
• 700 AD: Ancient Chinese practitioners used silver fillings that were the ancestor to our modern amalgam fillings. Ancient China is also credited with the first bristled toothbrush.
• 1400 AD: Can you imagine going to your local barber to have your dental work done? Well in the Middle Ages, that is exactly where you went. In these early times of dentistry and medicine, barbers were tasked with much more than hair cuts and shaves.
• 1530: A little book with a long name. The first known book about dentistry came out of Germany with the title Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth .
• 1723: French surgeon Pierre Fauchard , writes the first comprehensive book on dental care. His writings on teeth restoration, oral health, and creating/fitting dentures became the basis for practice since that time and earned him the title Father of Modern Dentistry.

While we have come a long way since the days of old, the dentist still ranks very very high on the list of phobias for most people. As high as 75% of adults in the US have some level of anxiety when faced with a dental visit, and 5 to 10% of those have crippling fear of the dentist. This is caused by many factors not the least of which is bad childhood experiences that lead to fear in adulthood. For many people this fear is intense enough to cause them to avoid the dentist all together. This is the first thing I'm going to address when it comes to CBD and oral health. I was one of those people who had a very bad dentist in childhood (the man was literally ran out of Missouri). For years I was unable (and dentists were unwilling) to have dental work without being sedated. Every instance of major dental work I've had done in adulthood has been under sedation, typically requiring me to come in on a day when no other patients were scheduled. I could not even go to a cleaning or check-up without taking a tranquilizer to get through it. Last year was the first time I have ever even tried to go to the dentist without taking medication. I put CBD to it's ultimate test in my life when I went in to have a crown put on and was so super excited that I did it! I got through a 3 hour appointment with shots, drilling, & fitting without taking prescription medication. I took a dose of CBD prior to the appointment and another small dose halfway through. Even though it was still not a pleasant experience, I felt a strong surge of pride that I was able to do it completely pharmaceutical free.

How does oral health affect overall health?
Your mouth is the gateway to your digestive and respiratory tracts & teams with bacteria that can be beneficial as well as harmful to your overall health. A healthy oral microbiome is essential for your overall health. Your gums are an entry point into your bloodstream, so when a person with poor oral health and oral care develops gum disease, this can lead to toxins and bad bacteria being carried all over your body & that can cause a whole host of medical issues. The most severe are called periodontitis & necrotizing periodontitis. Periodontitis develops when gingivitis is left unchecked. Periodontitis can include symptoms like, red/swollen gums that are tender or painful, bleeding, bad breath, receding gums, loose teeth, etc. Necrotizing periodontitis goes even further causing ulcers, tooth loss, jaw bone loss, & loss of the tissues that hold your teeth in. This can lead to serious infections that can threaten your overall health.

There are several diseases & conditions that can be linked to poor oral health. These include, but are not limited to:

• Pneumonia - harmful bacteria living in the plaque in your mouth can be inhaled into the lungs, causing pneumonia.
• Pregnancy & birth complications - Periodontitis has been linked to low birth weight and premature labor
• Endocarditis - This infection of the inner lining of your heart is linked to bacteria carried from other parts of your body (like your mouth) to the heart, causing infection.

How can CBD help with oral health?

1. CBD is great for anxiety - As I mentioned before, anxiety and the dentist go hand and hand for many people. Studies show that taking CBD prior to a dental appointment can help to ease that anxiety, one of those studies can be found here.
2. CBD can help with inflammation in the gums - Inflammation can lead to all sorts of ugly problems, in fact it has been said many times that inflammation is the cause of most diseases. CBD has been shown to be a powerful anti-inflammatory.
3. CBD can help improve your sleep - Wondering what sleep has to do with your oral health? When you are getting poor sleep, chances are you are mouth breathing. Mouth breathing drys out the mouth and mucosa and allows bacteria to thrive. Oxidation from mouth breathing can also cause quickly aging teeth that yellow quickly. Most of my customers notice better sleep quality as one of the first benefits of starting CBD.
4. CBD reduces inflammation in the mouth and may help to heal gum disease - CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory and is showing promise in animal models as an aid to healing of gums that are suffering from periodontitis. CBD has also been shown to prevent bone loss.
5. CBD helps with pain relief - CBD interacts with your pain receptors and helps to modulate pain signaling. Along with the fact that it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, helping your body to modulate the signals results in "turning the volume down" on pain. Bottom line on this one is give CBD a try before and after a dentist appointment instead of opting for addictive and sometimes harmful medications.
6. CBD can help ease nausea - Many dental patients experience nausea, either from anxiety or from the anesthetic. Your tummy is loaded with cannabinoid receptors & CBD can help ease the symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

I will probably never, ever be excited about going to the dentist, but I can say that now I have something I know from experience helps so much with my anxiety, nausea, and pain during and after the appointment. Try it for yourself, you have nothing to loose but your dental anxiety.