Dental Hygiene: Day 9

Normally, day nine would be where I look back at previous habits and see what has happened to them. Since this is my first habit, this is impossible. So, I thought I'd think more about something that's been in my head.

I had mentioned a few days ago that I wasn't sure what effect the antibiotic would have on all of this, so I did a little sleuthing.

I found out that the American Heart Association (AHA) used to recommend antibiotic treatment for having dental work done in order to prevent flooding the bloodstream with bacteria. They were trying to prevent cardiovascular infection. Now, these recommendations have changed (see the the October 2007 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter) and they only recommend antibiotics before dental work for a small subset of the population. It still seems only fitting that I started my little endeavor here the week I was on antibiotics.

When I started, there was some bleeding. Bleeding meant that a) my gums were in bad shape and b) bacteria could get into my bloodstream from the open 'holes' in my mouth. Being on antibiotics has prevented this. So, unintentionally, I did myself a large favor by starting all this the week I was sick.

I love it when I make a good decision unintentionally.

For most people, however, this isn't an option. Going on antibiotics 'unnecessarily' is not a good idea. Antibiotic resistant strains of all sorts of diseases are cropping up because of it, and that is a BAD thing. But, if you happen to be on antibiotics for another reason...hey, why not really kick your dental maintenance into high gear and get your oral health going? Can't hurt.

**two technical notes**
I seem to have had a problem with the date stamp for some of my posts. So far I have actually hit the 'publish' button once a day, so each of my posts should have come up in the right order...I think I have it licked, but no promises.

and

I just realized that for the last 8 days I have been spelling hygiene wrong in my post titles...oops. I know, I know, "I before E, except after C". Simple english...

**Daily report for yesterday

Day 8: all is good. Two brushings, flossings, and rinsings. Good clean teeth. I am already starting to think about my next habit, because this one is coming so easily.